1S8 



half as niucli. He (Mr. Devlin) bought annually from 400 to 500 

 skins. The value of the otter skin fluctuated less than that of most 

 furs, and ranged from $4 to $15, according to size and quality. The 

 sea-otter skin is much larger and very much more valuable than that 

 of our own species. That animal, besides being much bigger, had the 

 feet also more webbed, and differed in its dentition and in other points 

 so much as to be placed in another genus. Its range is now northward 

 from British Columbia along the Pacific coast. The Euro[)ean otter 

 {Lutra vulgaris) was smaller than the Canadian, but had a longer tail. 



Mr. Andeksox said that his friend Mr. Noble had informed him 

 that he had frequently trapped "sea-otters" on the shores of the north 

 of Scotland, and he wished to ask if these were the true " sea-otter ;" 

 for if so its range was not so restricted as had been stated. 



^Ir. Noble then described the manner in which he had captured 

 the so-called " sea-otters," and from his description it was apparent that 

 the animals in question were merely coast-frequenting specimens of 

 the common Euro[)ean otter. 



Prof. Macoun and Mr. J. B. Tyrrell gave very interesting 

 accounts of the occurrence of beaver, otter and muskrat in various 

 districts of the North- West, but diffc-red as to localities producing the 

 best skins. 



Mr. Whitcher referred to ]Mr. Lett's muntion of the otter prey- 

 ing on ducks, and stated that he had seen an otter come up and sit 

 on the rocks along side of ducks, and that the birds did not appar_ 

 ently mind him, although the appearance of a mink would have made 

 them all fly. Possibly this was because the otter seizes his prey froui 

 beneath the water and therefore the ducks do not recogniz.; him as an 

 enemy on land, whereas it is there that the mink attacks them. He 

 had killed on one occasion si.K otters on the Constant creek (about 

 fifteen miles above the city). He had observed that the otter, viewed 

 from above, when swimming under water looked surprisingly small^ 

 owing to the dark color of its back tending to render it almost invisible. 



Dr. Bell explained that the quality of the furs from the North- 

 West did not depend altogether on the latitude. The animals inhabit- 

 ing the open ])lains were lighter in color than those in the mountain 

 and wooded districts. 



