DESCRIPTION OF ENHYDRIS LUTRIS. 329 



the shortest side. The digits are entirely webbed by membranes 

 stretching from tip to tip of all the toes. When widespread, 

 the ends of the toes describe a slight curve, the inner one being a 

 little shorter than the next, the rest regularly graduated. The 

 claws are short, stout, arched, and rather obtuse, hidden in the 

 dense far, which completely invests the foot above and below. 

 The tail is short, stout, and terete, with a slight taper through- 

 out, at the end rather abruptly contracting to an obtuse tip. 



The coloration varies greatly with age and season. When 

 the animal is in good state, like the specimen now under par- 

 ticular consideration, it is deep liver-brown, about the same 

 above and below, everywhere silvered or "frosted" with the 

 hoary tips of the longer stiff hairs. These colorless hairs are 

 rather more numerous below than above, giving a lighter tone 

 to the under parts, the body of which, however, is of much the 

 same color as the back. There are fewer or none such light- 

 tipped hairs on the tail and limbs, which consequently appear 

 of a more uniform liver- brown. On the fore part, just in advance 

 of the shoulders, the color lightens rather abruptly into a gray- 

 ish or light muddy brown, and the bleaching increases on the 

 head, which is of a brownish-white. The whiskers are color- 

 less ; the muffle black ; the claws dark. 



Among the numerous specimens examined, including some 

 not ^' in condition", great variation is exhibited in the extent to 

 which the ground color is overlaid with the hoary. The longer 

 hairs are sometimes so numerous and so extensively bleached 

 that the animal appears mostly grizzly, completely bleached 

 upon the neck and head. The light hairs, instead of being 

 purely hoary, are frequently of a yellowish tint, as if soiled. 

 The variations in the ground color are chiefly due to presence 

 or absence of a "red" shade, which, in the best specimens, pro- 

 duces the rich liver-brown hue or chocolate-shaded color, and 

 the absence of which leaves the brown of a plain dark charac- 

 ter. There is often a noticeable blackish area between the 

 fore-legs.* 



The variability of this species in size, though great, is only 

 on a par with that of its allies. The dimensions may be gath- 

 ered from the measurements already given ; but, though these 

 are incomplete, they are not here supplemented with others, 



* The tendency to special particoloratiou on the throat and breast is strong 

 in Mmtelidie. It is fully carried out in Gulo, Miistela, Putorius vison, <Sbc., 

 and even indicated here in Enhi/dris. 



