VOL. iJi.] Notes 0)1 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 o J tf:r {Liitra canadensis'). 



Ouinault 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 

 of a 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 



