716 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxviii. 



that this .spocie.s is, now at least, very rare in the northwest of Canada, 

 whiU^ it is ])robable that most of the foregoino- returns were obtained 

 in other sections of the countrv, to the west, south, and eastward. In 

 the second vohune of Audubon and Bachman's Quadrupeds of North 

 America, Audubon has given us a full and interesting account of the 

 habits of this si^ocies. As to its northern and western distribution, he 

 quotes from Sir John Richardson and others. The former supposed 

 that the raccoon extended farther north on the shores of the Pacific 

 than it does on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. Dixon and 

 Pastlock contirm this, as they obtained skins from the natives of 

 Cook River in latitude 00 north. Richardson further states that the 

 company procured about 100 skins from the southern parts of the fur 

 districts, as far north as the Red River in latitude 50° north. It is 

 said to hibernate for a portion if not most of the winter. The young, 

 usually from four to six in number, are quite small at their birth, 

 which generally takes place in May, though varying with the range. 



LAND OTTER. 



LiiJra camulcnsix (Schreber). 



The Canada otter is but very sparingly present on the lower Ander- 

 son, nor could it be truthfully stated that it was very abundant in the 

 far north; still, it is generally met with in every locality adapted to 

 its requirements. There are seasons also when, .for natural reasons 

 beyond our knowledge, it is more nuirkedly numerous in certain sec- 

 tions of the country than is usually the case; but the very extraordinary 

 statements made by Bell-' that there were imported into England 

 713,115 skins of the American otter in 1830, 491,067 in 1831, and 

 222,1!»3 in 1832, must be enormously exaggerated. As only 23,889 is 

 the total given for 1833, the other tigures must surely be gro.ssly 

 incorrect. The company's aggregate sales, for the twenty-five years 

 previous to 1878 only amount to 318,110, or an average of about 12,723 

 skins a year. In j\Iarch, 1888, they sold 11,588; in the same month of 

 1902, 8,675, and 10,273 in 1903. The three best years of said period 

 were 1864 with 15,443, 1866 with 18,380, and 1867 with 15,271, and 

 the three lowest 1853 with 8,991, 1874 with 9,010, and 1877 with 9,926 

 skins. In fifteen years (1863-1877) of the aforesaid twenty-five, Mac- 

 kenzie River district supplied 1,984, and the Atha))asca district in 

 twenty years (1858-1877) supplied 4,861 skins toward the above grand 

 total. The Mackenzie River contribution by Fort Resolution, Great 

 Slave Lake, was 427 for the same period. 



By widely separated hunters, this animal is said to mate during the 

 months of March, April, and May. The offspring are from three to 



« British Quadrupeds, 1837, p. 136. 



