LUTRA. 31 



Far bright yellowish fawn above ; nearly pure white beneath ; 

 covered above and on the sides with numerous closely approximating 

 black spots, i to 1 inch in diameter, but not grouped in rosettes. A 

 black streak from the corner of each eye down the face ; chest and 

 under parts of the body unspotted. The spots on the back are larger 

 than those on the head, sides and limbs, where they are more closely set. 

 Ears short and rounded, with a broad black spot at the base externally; 

 the tip and inner side of the ear whitish ; extremity of the nose black. 

 Tail with black spots and the tip black, (tip white, Bennett). Maue not 

 very cousiderable, pupil circular. 



Length. — Head and body 4*5 — 5 feet, tail 30 inches, height nearly 

 three feet. 



Hah. — The hunting leopard is fouud neai-ly throughout India, in Sind, 

 Rajpootana, the Panjab, Central, Southern and N. W. India, also 

 Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia and Africa. 



The employment of the cheetah in the chase of antelopes, &c., is so 

 well-known, that it is scarcely necessary to give a description of it. 

 The skin of all the leopards, and of the tiger also, is an article of some 

 importance in the trade. 



Family, MUSTELID^. 



Sub Family, LUTEIN A,— Otters. 



Head depressed ; feet normal, subdigitigrade ; toes webbed ; tail 

 thick, tapering, depressed; teeth normal; Hesh tooth acutely tubercular; 

 large tubercular grinder, oblong ; nose convex, hairy beneath. 



Lutra, Hciy- — Characters those of the Sub Family. 



Dentition : Incisors ^^ ; canines -j^-j^ ; premolars ^^ ; molars ^^,. 



Lutra nair, F. Cnv. ; Jerd. Mam. Ind.-p. 86 ; Murray, Hdhh, Zool., 

 ^•c, Sind, p. 85. Lutra Indica, Gray, Lond. Mac/. Nat. Hist. 1837 

 p. 580; P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 128; Gat. Mam. Br. Mils., p. 104. Loodra, 

 Sind. — The Common Indian Otter. 



Muzzle bald, square. Fur above hair -brown, or light chestnut 

 brown, in some grizzled with white hairs, in others tinged with 

 isabelline yellow. Beneath, the fur is short, of a yellowish white or red- 

 dish white colour. Upper lip, sides of head, and neck, chin, and throat 

 whitish. Paws albescent. In some the tip of the tail is white. 



Length. — o^ to 4 feet, of which the tail is 1^ feet or more, the 

 width at the base being 3 to 3J inches. 



The otter is found in great numbers along the Indus to the Punjab. 

 Most of the Mohanas or fishermen have always two or more of these 

 animals as an essential to their avocation to drive fish into their nets. 

 This they are trained to do. In porpoise catching this animal is also 

 of great service to the fishermen. When the boats, which are the 

 homes of the fishermen, are lying at the banks as many as 20 or 30, 

 otters may be seen tied round the waist, tethered to stakes by the 



