Lady Mary and her Nurse | Page 7

is a pretty, soft-looking
thing, with a round head and black eyes. Where do otters live?"
"The Canadian otters, Lady Mary, live in holes in the banks of sedgy,
shallow lakes, mill-ponds, and sheltered creeks. The Indian hunters find
their haunts by tracking their steps in the snow; for an Indian or
Canadian hunter knows the track made by any bird or beast, from the
deep broad print of the bear, to the tiny one of the little shrewmouse,
which is the smallest four-footed beast in this or any other country.
"Indians catch the otter, and many other wild animals, in a sort of trap,
which they call a 'dead-fall.' Wolves are often so trapped, and then shot.
The Indians catch the otter for the sake of its dark shining fur, which is
used by the hatters and furriers. Old Jacob Snowstorm, an old Indian
who lived on the banks of the Rice Lake, used to catch otters; and I
have often listened to him, and laughed at his stories."
"Do, please, nurse, tell me what old Jacob Snow-storm told you about
the otters; I like to hear stories about wild beasts. But what a droll
surname Snow-storm is!"
"Yes, Lady Mary; Indians have very odd names; they are called after

all sorts of strange things. They do not name the children, as we do,
soon after they are born, but wait for some remarkable circumstance,
some dream or accident. Some call them after the first strange animal
or bird that appears to the new-born. Old Snow-storm most likely owed
his name to a heavy fall of snow when he was a baby. I knew a chief
named Musk-rat, and a pretty Indian girl who was named 'Badau'-bun,'
or the 'Light of the Morning.'"
"And what is the Indian name for Old Snow-storm?"
"'Be-che-go-ke-poor,' my lady."
Lady Mary said it was a funny sounding name, and not at all like
Snow-storm, which she liked a great deal better; and she was much
amused while her nurse repeated to her some names of squaws and
papooses (Indian women and children); such as Long Thrush, Little
Fox, Running Stream, Snow-bird, Red Cloud, Young Eagle, Big Bush,
and many others.
"Now, nurse, will you tell me some more about Jacob Snow-storm and
the otters?"
"Well, Lady Mary, the old man had a cap of otter-skin, of which he was
very proud, and only wore on great days. One day as he was playing
with it, he said:--'Otter funny fellow; he like play too, sometimes.
Indian go hunting up Ottawa, that great big river, you know. Go one
moonlight night; lie down under bushes in snow: see lot of little fellow
and big fellow at play. Run tip and down bank; bank all ice. Sit down
top of bank; good slide there. Down he go splash into water; out again.
Funny fellow those!' And then the old hunter threw back his head, and
laughed, till you could have seen all his white teeth, he opened his
mouth so wide."
Lady Mary was very much amused at the comical way in which the old
Indian talked.
"Can otters swim, nurse?"
"Yes, Lady Mary; the good God, who has created all things well, has
given to this animal webbed feet, which enable it to swim; and it can
also dive down in the deep water, where it finds fish and mussels, and
perhaps the roots of some water-plants to eat. It makes very little
motion or disturbance in the water when it goes down in search of its
prey. Its coat is thick, and formed of two kinds of hair; the outer hair is
long, silky, and shining; the under part is short, fine, and warm. The

water cannot penetrate to wet them,--the oily nature of the fur throws
off the moisture. They dig large holes with their claws, which are short,
but very strong. They line their nests with dry grass and rushes and
roots gnawed fine, and do not pass the winter in sleep, as the dormice,
flying squirrels, racoons, and bears do. They are very innocent and
playful, both when young and even after they grow old. The lumberers
often tame them, and they become so docile that they will come at a
call or whistle. Like all wild animals, they are most lively at night,
when they come out to feed and play."
"Dear little things! I should like to have a tame otter to play with, and
run after me; but do you think he would eat my squirrel? You know
cats will eat squirrels--so mamma says."
"Cats belong to a very different class of animals; they are beasts of prey,
formed to spring and bound, and tear with their teeth and claws. The
otter is also a beast of prey, but its