THE MUSEUM. 



185 



sliding pastime. They glided down 

 the soap-Hke muddy surface of the 

 slide with the rapidity of an arrow 

 from a bow, and we counted each one 

 making twenty-two slides before we 

 disturbed their sporiive occupation. " 

 (Ouadrepeds of North America, Vol. 



li^ p. 8.) 



They are generally captured by 

 placing a steel trap, fastened to a 

 chain, in the water at the bottom of 

 one of their slides. In this case no 

 bait is used, and the trap is so ar- 

 ranged as to drag them off in deep 

 water and drown them. At other 

 times it is set on the bank in a path, 

 either being covered with a thin layer 

 of snow or of earth. Like many 

 other wild animals when caught in a 

 trap, they will fiequently gnaw off a 

 foot or leg and escape. 



They are a shy animal, seldom be- 

 ing seen. A man of my acquaintance, 

 who follows fishing and trapping for a 

 living, tells me that although he has 

 trapped about forty Otters in the last 

 twenty years, still in the same length 

 of time he has only seen three loose. 



He says they are very destructive 

 to his nets, taking out fish, and at 

 times tearing the nets. 



Frequently when caught in a tight 

 place they will fight desperately. 

 Some 3'ears ago I saw one swim to the 

 bank near where I was seated in a 

 ducking blind, but out of gun shot. 

 After remaining on the bank for awhile 

 it plunged into the water and swam 

 off. A day or two later, near the 

 same place, two men were crossing 

 the river in a small skiff, and seeing 

 an Otter swimming ahead of them 

 they went after it, and upon coming 

 up with it they struck it with a pad- 

 dle, the only weapon they had. In- 



stead of diving and trying to escape, 

 it turned upon them and tried to climb 

 into the skiff, nearh' swamping it, and 

 it was only after a desperate fight that 

 they succeeded in killing it. 



In conclusion I will say I do not 

 think the Otter is quite as rare as it 

 is generally supposed to be. I have 

 notes on five killed within fifteen miles 

 of Baltimore in the last twelve 

 months, and have heard of several 

 others being seen, I myself, having 

 noted their footprints in our marshes 

 on one or two occasions. 

 G I hope that through the channel of 

 the iSlusLUM we may see other notes 

 on mammals, the publications open 

 to such, being very few. 



Wm. H. Fisher, 

 Baltimore, Md. 



Breeding of ''Sterna" upon Wee- 

 pecketa Islands, Mass. 



C. C. PURDUM. 



Among the numerous islands located 

 in the waters of Buzzard Bay and 

 Vineyard Sound, is the interesting 

 group known as "The Weepecketa" 

 The name is doubtless of Indian origin, 

 although the exact derivation and 

 meaning of the term can not be posi- 

 tively determined. These islands, 

 three in number, are situated in a 

 chain running in a generally northern 

 and southern direction. 



The structure of these islands is in- 

 teresting although characteristic of the 

 coast in this locality. The base is 

 particularly rocky ; rising abruptly from 

 the water's edge. Above this, on the 

 outer of three islands, is a short ex- 

 panse of the clear sandy soil common 

 to this locality; this in turn is sur- 

 mounted by an abrupt rise of clay like 



