LUTRA.—URSUS. | 87 
Mr. J. A. Allen and by Dr. Coues, belong to this well-marked species ; and there can 
be little doubt that Dr. v. Frantzius was in error in his determination of Lutra 
brasiliensis and L. canadensis in Costa Rica. Of the former he says that the headless 
and footless skins brought to the markets appeared to belong to that species, and that 
a specimen sent to the Dresden Museum by Herr Schroter had been determined by 
Professor Reichenbach §. The skins may be dismissed as quite inadequate evidence ; and 
there would seem to be some mistake about the Dresden example, for I could find no 
specimen of L. brasiliensis when I visited that collection; and the present Director, 
Dr. A. B. Meyer, informs me that the only specimens which the Museum received 
from Herr Schréter were Reptiles. As to LZ. canadensis, Dr. v. Frantzius says that a 
Costa-Rican Otter in the collection of Dr. Joos, of Schaffhausen, agreed with the 
North-American species in its skull and in its naked muffle, which “ ran up in a pointed 
angle”®. This last character is diagnostic of L. felina, and not of L. canadensis, in 
which the muffle is an irregular pentagon, which has been aptly compared to the shape 
of the ace of clubs. | 
Molina’s Otter has a wide range on the western slope of both the Americas, from 
Chili, where it was first described, northwards. It is still somewhat uncertain to what 
latitude its northern range attains: specimens obtained from the MM. Verreaux by 
the British Museum are labelled “ Kamptschatka”?; and this is partially confirmed 
by Dr. Coues, who doubtfully refers skulls from Alaska to this species +. 
Messrs. Godman and Salvin give me the following account of their observations on 
this animal in Guatemala :—“ Otters are pretty generally distributed in suitable places 
throughout the country. The first occasion on which we met with them was near 
Santana Mixtan, a village in the Pacific-coast region, where the specimen called Lutra 
chilensis by Mr. Tomes® was shot in a stagnant lagoon in the forest. We afterwards 
found Otters not uncommon in the river of Coban, close to the town, a favourite resort 
being some pools near the stream. We also met with them in the river of Copan, near 
the celebrated Indian ruins. Having crept through the curious tunnel of masonry 
which pierces the hill known as the ‘cerro de la ventana,’ we came to a high wall 
overhanging the river, in which several Otters were playing in a pool below us.” 
Fam. V. URSIDE. 
1. URSUS. 
Ursus, Linnzeus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 69 (1766). 
Two species of Bear are included in the fauna of our subregion, but appear to have 
been hitherto only found towards its northern extremity. These are the well-known 
- Black or Cinnamon Bear of North America, and the dreaded “ Grizzly ” of the Rocky 
Mountains. Concerning the specific identity of both these animals, especially the 
latter, there has been not a little diversity of opinion. 
