OTTER

The Otter is the playboy of the weasel family. He originated the fame of “shoot the chute” on the slippery banks of streams. He’ll play it for hours. However, it isn’t so simple to catch him at it, for the otter is scarce and goes about only at night.

The Fur is soft, rich, dense and lustrous, with short guard hairs. The color varies from grayish brown to a rich deep brown. In its unplucked state the otter is rated highest in wearing qualities.

The sea otter was once found in great abundance off the coast of Alaska. Its popularity with Peter the Great and Catherine induced Russian trappers to seek these fine pelts. Ruthless slaughter ensued, until at the end of the 19th century, there remained but a few hundred of these lovely creatures. The five to seven foot dimensions of the sea otter’s pelt increases its value; some fine specimens bringing as high as one thousand dollars each.

The name otter dates back to the ancient Hindu language and means “ water.” Early Persians incorporated the otter in their religious beliefs. Killing an otter was regarded as murder, to atone for which the murderer had to kill ten thousand frogs that polluted the water, or ten thousand poisonous snakes or biting ants.

The variety most generally known is the common otter of Europe – although the most valuable skins come from North America. The better specimens are said to be “dark as seal, deep as fox, tough as buffalo, and rich as mahogany.”