822 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



A captive Otter kept by J. K. MacDonald, of Winnipeg, 

 in 1886, at Bersimis on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, used to utter 

 such a piercing whistle that my informant repeatedly heard 

 across the river (a mile and a half away), as plainly, he said, as 

 he could hear a man whistle if in the same room with him. 

 He knew of no other animal sound so shrill, save the scream of 

 the eagle or the loon. 



MATING Most observers agree that the species pairs and that the 



mating season is towards the end of February. 



The British Otters bred in captivity by A. H. Cocks gave 

 an admirable opportunity for observation. The female showed 

 that she was willing to consider a proposal of marriage by leav- 

 ing little piles of well-mouthed straw here and there in the cage. 

 These, as with the Marten, he believes, are to call the attention 

 of the male. In a state of nature they would be left at convenient 

 spots along the banks of the river or other main line of travel. 



The male showed none of the savage ferocity of the male 

 Marten. His behaviour, in general, was irreproachable. 



DEN "It digs a burrow on the bank at the edge of the stream 



or lake, with the entrance under water, like that of a Musk- 

 rat. Its burrow is not so extensive, however, as that of the 

 latter animal, and it never constructs a house of any kind. In 

 a capacious chamber in its burrow, it forms a large soft nest 

 of sticks, leaves, and grass; though sometimes it has been 

 observed to take up its quarters in the bottom of a standing 

 hollow tree or in a cavity in a fallen one."^ (Kenntcott.) 



The British Otter is known to have a kitchen-midden, or 

 garbage hole, near the den door, but this admirable sanitary 

 arrangement has not yet been observed in our own species. 



GESTA- The gestation of the British species was ascertained by 



A. H. Cocks to be 61 days. No doubt the period will be 

 found about the same in canadensis. 



' Quad. 111., 1859, p. 247. 



