682 THE CARNIVORES 



under-fur, in which the hairs are whitish gray, with brown tips, and of longer stiff 

 hairs, which are grayish at the base, and rich brown at their tips on the upper parts 

 of the body and the outer surfaces of the limbs; the cheeks, throat, the under parts 

 of the body, and the inner surfaces of the limbs being brownish gray. The upper 

 margin of the naked nose terminates behind in an angle, while, as in the other 

 species, the muzzle is provided with long ' ' whiskers. ' ' In the Indian variety, which was 

 formerly regarded as a distinct species, the fur of the back is generally grizzled, while 

 the size of the animal is slightly less than in the ordinary European form. The claws 

 on all the feet are well developed, and there are four premolar teeth in the upper jaw. 



The common otter is found all over Europe in suitable localities, and 



also extends over a large portion of Asia northward of the Himalayas. 



It is likewise represented by the ordinary form in the Northwestern Himalayas, and 



by the above-mentioned smaller and grayer variety in India and Ceylon, as well as 



in some of the districts to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal. 



Writing of the habits of the common otter, Bell observes that "it 

 swims and dives with great readiness, and with peculiar ease and ele- 

 gance of movements; and although its action on land is far from being awkward and 



SKELETON OF THE COMMON OTTER. 



difficult, yet it is certainly in the water that the beautiful adaptation of its structure 

 to its habits is most strikingly exhibited. It swims in nearly a horizontal position, 

 and dives instantaneously after the fish that may glide beneath it, or pursues it un- 

 der water, changing its course as the fish darts in various directions to escape from 

 it, and, when the prey is secured, brings it on shore to its retreat to feed. As the 

 otter lives exclusively on fish, when it can procure them, it frequents lakes, rivers, 

 smaller streams, or ponds, and not unfrequently descends to the sea; and the havoc 

 which it makes among the finny inhabitants is almost incredible. In feeding, it 

 holds the fish between its fore-paws, eating first the head, and then downward to the 

 vent, leaving the tail." The fish actually eaten by the otter form, however, but a 

 small proportion of those captured; this animal being one of those which appears to 

 delight in killing for killing's sake. In India the common otter is occasionally 

 found in the large tanks so common throughout the country, and it is stated by Mr. 

 Blanford to be common in the great backwaters off the Western Coast, and in the 

 Chilka lake of Orissa. 



Otters are generally found either in pairs or in family parties of five or six indi- 

 viduals, the latter comprising the parents and their partially or full-grown progeny. 



