CHAPTER TWELVE 



The OTTER was known to man, and its pelt used for a 

 covering, long before America was discovered. The 

 common name of this fur animal, therefore, is of Old 

 World origin, being called in Old English ote and otor; its 

 Dutch and German equivalent being olter; Danish, odder; 

 Swedish, utter. French designation being loutre, Iberville's 

 and Bienville's hardy pioneers named many of the bayous 

 and other waterways they found here after this animal. 

 Bayou la Loutre and Pass a kt Loutre were notable for the 

 number of otters seen in them, and for this reason were so 

 named. The Biloxi Indian name was xyinixkw which means 

 "animal that rolls," while the Choctaws called the otter 

 oshan. 



In America, as well as in the Old World, the otter is a 

 carnivorous aquatic mammal belonging to the lutrine sec- 

 tion of the Mustelidae family, a group that includes the 

 minks, weasels, skunks, badger, marten. It has a long, 

 slender body, very short legs, stout, tapering tail, and a 

 flattened head. The otter is not only the largest trulv fur 

 animal in our fauna, but has a pelt that commands the 

 highest individual price. 



Of pronounced aquatic habits, being as fond of fresh 

 water as the seal is of its favorite element, the otter is a 

 marvslous swimmer, but it is quite at home on land, where 

 it makes long journeys from one body of water to another. 



Like the mink, the otter is of a rich, dark-brown color 

 with a fur of fine quality, consisting of a short, whittish- 

 grey underfur, the prevailing brown coloration being at 

 the tips. This pelage is interspersed with longer, stiffer and 

 thicker glossy hairs, greyish at the base, but bright rich 

 brown at the tips, especially those hairs on the upperparts 

 and outer surface of the legs. The otter's throat, cheeks, 



