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Show OTTER'S TOBOCCAN1NO. I ftna(ll.in Otter Coasts and Slide Down Hill Jmt for Fun. It seems strange io think that any full grown, four-footed animal should indulge in p'.ay like a child, and yet this is what the otter does. His amusement is tobagganing. and his playground is a slope, covered with ice or snow, that goes down grade into a pool of water. No little boy, with a new sled, ever enjoyed a coast down an ice-hound hill more than this beautiful beau-tiful creature from the frozen north. The otter is quite large, sometimes weighing as much as 25 pounds. He resembles the seal and the mink, being, be-ing, however, of heavier build, and is both supple and strong. Living fo' the most part in water, he preys on fish, which his swimming and diving ability enables him to catch easily. The entrance to his home, which is a burrow in the bank of a stre im. is under the water. In the early spring when the ice begins to thaw, these animals start on their travels from one stream to another, sometimes spending spend-ing months on the journey. If they happen to see an inviting hill by the wayside they immediately stop their pilgrimage and prepare for some sport. One of the number leaves the water and slowly climbs the slope, making l a smooth hollow in the ice with his wet body. When the slide is prepared, pre-pared, he lies flat on his belly, thrusts his nose forward, and turning his fore paws under his soft sides, goes sailing sail-ing swiftly down. His speed steadily increases until he reaches the water. Silently he parts the surface and is lost from sight for a few seconds; then his head appears above the surface and you can hear him give a call which sounds like a whistle. This is a signal. sig-nal. The next otter assumes the position posi-tion and shoots down to the bottom to join his companion, who has meanwhile mean-while crawled out on the ice. Then another whistle and the next in order slides and plunges, and the performance perform-ance Is kept up until each one lias several trips to his credit. Exchange. |
