FAUNA AMERICANA. 73 



JMustda liitris^ Linn. Gmel. 

 Loutre du Kamtchatka^ Geoff. Encycl. pi. 79. 

 fig. 3. 



Char. Essent. Body very much elongated; 

 tail equal to one-third the length of the body; 

 hind feet very short; the animal of a lively black- 

 ish colour. 



Dimensions. Total length two feet ten inches ; 

 length of the tail nine or ten inches ; weighing 

 from seventy to eighty pounds. 



Description. Head small and globular ; ears 

 straight, conical, and covered with hair; eyes ra- 

 ther large ; iris varying from brown to black ; a 

 nictitating membrane at the internal angle of the 

 eye, extending over nearly one half the globe; 

 nostrils black and wrinkled ; lips thick ; opening 

 of the mouth, wide ; superior jaw armed with four- 

 teen teeth, four of which are sharp incisors ; one 

 canine on each side, and four or five large thick 

 molars, the first cutting, and the last furnished 

 with blunt tubercles ; one molar additional in the 

 lower jaw ; tongue rather long, slightly notched at 

 the extremity, covered with corneous papillae ; 

 legs and thighs short, and placed nearer to the 

 anus than in other quadrupeds, except in the seals; 

 toes united by a hairy membrane, and terminated 

 by a hooked claw ; tail thick and depressed ; fur 

 rich; generally black or brownish. 



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