177 



not be look for so far north as Ottawa, and he was disposed to consider 

 Mr. Scott's figure large enough to include all the species likely to be 

 found in the vicinity. 



The President stated that he believed this number of spejies had 

 already been noted. 



THE CANADIAN OTTER. 

 William Pittman Lett. 



Read 18th December, I884. 



The Canadian otter {Lutra Canadensis), of which I am briefly to 

 treat this evening, like the wapiti and the wild goose, derives its dis- 

 tinctive designation from Canada, over every part of which, as at pre- 

 sent constituted, it is distrii)uted. It belongs to the ]\Iustelid»e, or 

 weasel family, and genus Lutra; of which interesting group of our indi- 

 genois mammalia it may be said to stand at the head. With the ex- 

 ception of the black and silver grey fox, the otter is by far the most 

 valuable fur-bearing animal to be found in Canada. Its fur is thick 

 and fine next the pelt, with longer and coarser hairs of uniform length 

 of a glossy dark brown colour, inclining in old animals to greyish, 

 around the under part of the head and belly. Above all other kinds 

 of fur that of the otter is extremely durable, and the darker it is in 

 colour it is the more valuable. I have known an otter-skin cap to 

 have been worn for thirty years, winter after winter ; and although 

 somewhat faded in appearance, after frequent repairing and periodical 

 remodelling, the skin was still strong and tough, and the fur by no 

 means worn out. Pluc-ked-otter, dyed, is almost as beautiful as South 

 Sea seal, with the advantage of being much more lasting. Otter-skin 

 coatS; caps and gloves are always costly articles of apparel, but when 

 the beauty and durability of the fur is considei-ed, they are always 

 worth the money. From the nose to the tip of the tail a full grown 

 otter measures five feet. The body is thick, compact and muscular. 

 The eyes are small and black in colour. The head short and flat. The 

 teeth are fine and s!iarp. The neck long and thick, the legs short, and 



