VOL. ut. | Notes on Otters. 329 
long time, until they shot there so much that the otters became 
alarmed and have ever since given the rock a wide berth. The otters 
have other enemies as well as man. This was demonstrated to my 
satisfaction by finding on the beach a dead one that had been killed 
at sea. It had several long cuts in the skin and a great bruise as 
though it had been bitten by some large animal. The otter hunters 
said that it had probably been attacked by a shark or a sea lion while 
lying asleep on the water. The otter probably had strength enough 
to escape from its assailant, but finally succumbed to its wounds. 
There was a peculiar crease on one of the hind flippers, which, on 
skinning, proved to be an old bullet wound, as small pieces of lead 
were found imbedded in the bone. ' 
The otter was quite fat and perfectly fresh when found, The fur 
was glossy black, changing to dark brown underneath. The skin 
was bought by a trader and fur. buyer, who paid $65 for it. 
NORTH AMERICAN OTTER (Luéra canadensis). 
Quinault Lake is in that forest wilderness that borders the Pacific 
Ocean in the extreme western part of the great State of Washington. 
The lake is about fifty miles north of Gray’s Harbor and some 
thirty miles east of the ocean, and is drained by a fine river of the 
same name, timbered along its shores by firs, hemlocks and cedars. 
_ It is only within the last five years that this interesting country 
has been explored by white men, consequently wild animals are still 
tolerably abundant and may occasionally be seen in their native 
fastnesses. 
One beautiful evening in August I sat in my canoe about a quarter 
ofa mile down the river from the lake and just above the first rapid. 
The shadows had grown quite long, the millers and caddis flies had 
come out of their leafy retreats and were flying over the stream, 
while the eager trout were breaking water and exposing their silvery 
sides with a recklessness that made my fisherman’s heart beat 
stronger. The last fly had been fastened on the leader and I had 
just seized the pole to push into the stream when some animals on 
the opposite side of the river caught my eye. The first thought that 
flashed through my mind was muskrats. No, they are too active 
for muskrats; then they must be mink; too large for mink; they 
“were otters. What a good time they were having too! 
Fortunately the rifle was in the canoe, so I paddled quietly across 
