1 84 



THE MUSEUM. 



bird five feet high, living in the jun- 

 gles of the North Island, rare, shy 

 specimens difficult to obtain, and so 

 on. Javvers, who, even for a collec- 

 or, is a miraculously ignorant man, 

 read these paragraphs, and swore he 

 would have the thing at any price. 

 Raided the dealers with inquires. It 

 shows what a man can do by persist- 

 ence — will-power. Here is a bird- 

 collector swearing he wouid have a 

 specimen of a bird that did not exist, 

 that never had existed, and which, for 

 very shame of its own profane ungain- 

 lessness, probably would not exist now 

 if it could help itself. And he got it. 

 He got it.'' 



"Have some more whiskey. Bel- 

 lows.'" said the taxidermist, rousing 

 himself from a transient contemplation 

 of the mysteries of will-power and the 

 collecting turn of mind. And, replen- 

 ished, he proceeded to tell me of how 

 he concocted a most attractive mer- 

 maid, and how an itinerant preacher, 

 who could not get an audience be- 

 cause of it, smashed it because it was 

 idolatry, or worse, at Burslem Wakes. 

 But as the conversation of all the 

 parties to this transaction creator, 

 would-be preserver, and destroyer, was 

 uniformly unfit for publication, this 

 cheerful incident must still remain un- 

 printed. 



The reader unacquainted with the dark 

 ways of the collector may perhaps be 

 inclined to doubt my taxidermist, but 

 so far as great auk's eggs, and the 

 bogus stuffed birds are concerned, I 

 find that he has the confirmation of 

 distinguished ornithological writers. 

 And the note about the New Zealand 

 bird certainly appeared in a morning 

 paper of unblemished reputation. Evi- 

 dently there are more things in heaven 



and earth, and more particularly in 

 private museums, than are dreamt of 

 in our philosophies. — Pall Mall Budg- 

 et. 



Canada Otter. 



Lutra hndsonica (Laccp.) 



Habitat: Pretty generally distrib- 

 uted over North America; in Maryland 

 being found most abundantly along 

 the river courses on the "Eastern 

 Shore." 



The Otter was at one time very 

 common in this state, but it has been 

 so extensively trapped for its pelt 

 (worth from $6 to $8) that it is fast 

 being exterminated, although still 

 found sparingly on most of our rivers. 



Their principal food consists of fish 

 and crawfish, and if one or more take 

 up their abode near a fish pond they 

 will soon deplete it. It is said they 

 will, at times, visit the poultry yards 

 and the remains of wild fowl have 

 been found in their nests. These 

 nests are usually placed in a cavity, 

 under the roots of a tree, along the 

 river bank, and Audubon mentions 

 having found them in a hollow tree. 

 In theearly spring, about April, they 

 have their one litter, usually consisting 

 of two young. These follow their 

 mother for some time. 



The Otter is said to be very playful 

 and their favorite sport is sliding. 

 For this purpose they select a high 

 muddy bank, or in winter one covered 

 with snow. In speaking of this habit 

 Aububon says: "On one occasion we 

 were resting ourselves on the bank of 

 Canoe Creek, a small stream near 

 Henderson, which empties into the 

 Ohio, when a pair of Otters made 

 their appearance, and not observing 

 our proximity, began to enjoy their 



