The Life Story of an Otter (Paperback)

As we read, we no longer see his animals with the eyes of a human onlooker. We become, for the time being, those animals themselves.' C.C. VYVYAN. The revival in the fortunes of our otters owes much to the positive light in which this predator is seen by the public, paving the way for protective legislation and conservation action. The Life Story of an Otter was first published in 1909, and its author was a devout Cornishman who became a Bard of the Cornish Gorseth, and wrote a number of books which displayed clear-eyed observation of, and passion for, the wildlife of his home ground. This book was written with the intention of removing prejudice and improving the otter's image. It certainly helped, not least by providing the inspiration for Henry Williamson's Tarka the Otter. This reprint restores an important book to our shelves" James Robertson, Natur Cymru. This is another in a series of interesting titles reprinted by the enterprising Fowey based company, Cornwall Editions, who can be contacted on www.cornwalleditions.co.ukHoward Curnow, Chairman of the Cornish Wildlife Trust, claims on the attractive cover, that this 'unputdownable' book is 'the story that inspired Tarka the Otter'. The book is certainly difficult to put down but I can find no reference to J C Tregarthen's book in my edition of Henry Williamson's classic written some twenty years later. Nevertheless the story has much in common with Tarka and it is highly likely that Williamson would have read John Tregarthen's book which was first published 1909.This new edition contains Tregarthen's own preface to the original edition which sets out the author's reasons for writing about an animal which he believed attracted unjust prejudice. It also contains an abridged version of Bert Biscoe's introduction to 'John Penrose' (reviewed in the last LINK) and a reprint of a fascinating article by C C Vyvyan which first appeared in Cornish Review No 4, 1950. Entitled 'An Appreciation of J C Tregarthen' she focuses, in slightly extravagant style, on Tregarthen in the 'direct line of descent from the great naturalist writers'. In writing about animals naturalists, of course, have little scope for significant characterisation, originality or complex plots. But Tregarthen's family of otters is very much alive and every so often in the story is credited with the power of visualising memory and of human speech. The otter cubs, for example, lay awake 'thinking of an incident of the night' and their thoughts were preoccupied with the miller looking out from his bedroom window, 'the night-capped monster whom they still pictured as he appeared at the window'. - The story itself is a beautifully crafted study of a family of otters from birth to maturity. The teaching of the cubs to fish, the avoidance of danger, vividly described struggles, culminating, almost inevitably, with the dreaded hunt. The irony is that, until the final chapter, the otters have been the predators and the story is largely woven around their hunt for food. It is poignant that the otter is hunted not to provide food but for sport, and that a beautiful 29 pound animal is set up in the Squire's hall in a handsome case.No wonder, therefore, that the book concludes with a chapter entitled 'Otter Conservation' which contains useful information about various trusts engaged in protecting otters and guidance on where they can be seen in England. It would be wrong to say that this book is as richly written as Tarka the Otter'; but it captures admirably the life of these beautiful creatures in a Cornish context and contributes significantly to the literature that celebrates the survival of a once-endangered species - John Baxter, St Minver Link.

This natural history classic, first published in 1909, is a minutely observed, endlessly fascinating and graphic tale of wild animals in the Cornish countryside. The result of many years spent studying these fascinating creatures at close quarters, this is an unsentimental study of a family of otters, from the birth of cubs to childhood and maturity. We see the seasons change as the youngsters mature in river waters, upland pools and estuary creeks. We read of their nocturnal journeys in search of food, of their skirmishes with buzzards and domestic dogs; of being chased and sometimes killed, by otter hounds in the endless cycle of Nature. Said to have been the inspiration for Henry Williamson's classic work, Tarka the Otter, this beautifully written celebration of these glorious creatures presents a vivid snapshot of wild animals in a countryside teeming with interest, beauty and danger - mostly in human form. All is set in Tregarthen's beloved West Cornwall and written in his own inimitable style, almost from the point of view of the otters themselves. The text includes an appraisal of Tregarthen and this book by Clara, Lady Vyvyan of Trelowarren.