308 



NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELID.E. 



length respectively of 4:Ao and 4. .30; oue specimen from Saint 

 Simon's Island, Georgia^ is nearly as large (4.32), while a Fort 

 Cobb specimen has a length of 4.22. These four are the omly 

 ones from very southerly points. Four other specimens, from 

 as many localities, range from 4.05 to 4.15; while three speci- 

 mens from Newfoundland range from 4.03 to 4.25. While these 

 specimens are too few to warrant positive conclusions as to 

 geographical variations, the}' seem to point to a great constancy 

 of size throughout a wide range of latitude." 



Measurements of e'ujliteen skulls of Lutha canadkxsis. 



501 

 498 

 500 

 490 

 555 

 556 

 55T 

 559 

 558 

 4R9 



4446 

 11839 



2247 

 13671 



8097 



433 

 3142 



Locality, 



JTewfonndlaml. 

 do 



Umbagog Lake, Maine . 

 do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Lake Superior 



Fort Bertliold, Dak 



Saranac Lake, N. Y 



Bayfield, Wis 



Port Cobb, Ind. Ter 



Washington, D. C 



do 



Saint Simon's Island, Georgia 



History of the species. 



The existence of a true Otter in North America was known 

 to the earliest systematic writers. Thus, Buffon described an 

 Otter from Canada, noting its larger size in comparison with 

 the European species, and a difference in the color of the fur. 

 But all the authors of the last century persisted in confounding 

 it with either the European L. vulgaris, or with the South Amer- 

 ican Carigueibeju, Sarigovion, or Saricovienne, both totally 

 distinct. Pennant had also a certain "Slender Otter" of North 

 America, which became a Lutra gracilis* of authors, and may 



*' In establishing, in 1816, the genus Fusa for the Sea Otter, afterward 

 called Enlujdra by Fleming, Oken has two species (Lehrb. Naturg. 1816, 

 p. 986): one of these, which he calls Pasa orientalis, is Enhydra marina oi 

 authors ; in the other, L. gracilis, we see the old " Slender Otter " of Pen- 

 nant, Luira gracilis Shaw, referred by Fischer with a query to his genus 

 Enydris (=zEu]nidraV\em.). Pennant's beast came from "Statenland"; Oken 

 says "Staatenland, Insel an Amerika hi Xew-York^\ If he means by this 

 what is known now as Staten Island, New York, it would make his animal 

 to be Lutra canadensis ; i)erhai)s, however, his geography was at fault. 



