FUR-FARMING IN CANADA 81 
failing can be overcome by giving them sufficiently normal conditions. 
In their wild state they are in no danger of extermination. Man is their 
only enemy worth considering and owing to their wandering habits and 
keen intelligence, they have little to fear from any but the most ex- 
perienced trapper. They have held their own over thickly settled parts 
of the United States better than any other animal of equal fur value. 
They still inhabit most of their original range over the country, never 
in abundance, but scattered one or two in a stream or lake. They are 
apparently as common around the suburbs of Washington and in settled 
sections generally, as in most of the wilder but more trapped forest 
areas of the country. 
“Full-grown Canadian otters are about 4 feet in total 
eee ee length and weigh appl oximately 20 to 30 pounds. Their 
striking characteristics are long, lithe bodies, tapering 
into long, muscular, flattened tails; very short legs, fully webbed hind 
feet; short ears, keen little eyes and a beautiful coat of dense, dark 
brown fur. They are weasel-like in their quickness, extremely muscular 
and for their size fearless and savage fighters. 
“Many kinds of otters occur in different parts of the 
Li alae world, but the largest and most valuable for fur are 
those of North America, Lutra canadensis, and its 
several closely related subspecies or geographic varieties. Considering 
their wide range from Labrador to Alaska and from near the Arctic 
coast to Florida and Arizona, they show surprisingly little variation 
in size or in colour or quality of fur. This is, of course, owing to 
their aquatic habits and to the nearly uniform temperature of water 
in winter over almost the whole continent. The average lower price 
of southern otter skins may be due largely to the fact that most are 
caught before the midwinter cold has brought them up to prime con- 
dition. It seeras not improbable that with dark otters from eastern 
Canada to breed from, a high-grade of fur might be produced over most 
of the southern states where no other high-priced fur could be success- 
fully raised. The abundance of fish and crustaceans in many of the 
southern streams would be a distinct advantage in the way of food 
supply, and ideal situations for otter farms could be found on hundreds 
of streams where a few of the animals now live in the wild state. 
“For breeding purposes otters with the most valuable coats 
should be selected, preferably the very dark individuals from eastern 
Canada, Labrador, Newfoundland or Maine. Considerable individual 
variation is shown and the grade of fur could doubtless be steadily im- 
proved by selective breeding. The largest individuals are from Alaska 
6 
