THE OTTERS 685 



mostly taking place during the winter. On such occasions they 'ego so fast that a 

 man has great difficulty in overtaking them. On the ice they proceed by a series of 

 what boys call ' a run and a slide,' that is, they make several jumps and then slide 

 ahead flat on their bellies, as far as their impetus and the smoothness of the ice per- 

 mit, and then do the same thing over again, and so on." A curious habit of this 

 otter is its propensity for sliding down smooth and steep banks, either of snow or of 

 mud. Such gambols have been watched by several observers, from whose accounts it 

 appears that in winter the animals select the highest ridge of snow, onto the top of 

 which they scramble, whence, as Dr. J. D. Godman writes, they give themselves an 

 impulse with their hind-legs, and swiftly glide headforemost down the declivity, 

 sometimes for a distance of twenty yards. This sport they continue apparently 

 with the greatest enjoyment until fatigue or hunger induces them to desist. A 

 pair on a mud bank made upward of twenty-two slides before they were disturbed. 

 The number of young in a litter is said to be usually two, although there may oc- 

 casionally be either one or three. They are born about the middle of April, and dur- 

 ing the summer and autumn the female is generally to be seen accompanied by her 

 two young. 



'The fur of the otter is more valuable than that of any other North- 

 American animal, and is in good condition from November till the 

 spring, but is at its best period during the latter season. It is stated by Dr. Coues 

 that the number of skins of the American otter exported by the Hudson's Bay 

 Company to London in the year 1873 exceeded 11,000, while in 1891 the same com- 

 pany sold 8,171 skins. The ordinary price varies from seven to twelve dollars per 

 skin. 



Trapping These otters are usually caught in steel traps, which are set beneath 



the water where one of the "slides " or tracks of the animals leads to 

 the margin. Sometimes the trap is, however, placed at the top of the slide and 

 covered with snow. In neither case is any bait used; but in all methods the great- 

 est care is necessary that no traces of the trapper's presence should remain, 

 as the otter has very acute smell and sight, and is exceedingly wary and 

 cunning. 



South America possesses at least three species of otters, of which the most 

 noteworthy are the Brazilian otter and the feline otter. The Brazilian otter (Z,. 



brasiliensis) is much the largest of all the living species, and is dis- 

 Brazilian Otter . 



tmguished by the presence of a distinct ridge running along each 



side of the tail, whence it is often termed the margined-tailed otter. It inhabits the 

 rivers of Brazil and Guiana, where it is known as the Ariranha. The length of the 

 head and body is over forty inches, while that of the tail is about twenty-three 

 inches. The nose is completely covered with hair, and the general color of the pel- 

 age is chocolate brown, becoming lighter on the under parts. The chin, as well as 

 a large irregular patch on the throat, and some spots on the under surface of the 

 body are, however, whitish or yellow. 



In some of the South-American rivers these otters may be met with 

 Habits . , . . . 



in large companies, and they differ from most other species m being 



purely diurnal, commencing their hunting with the dawn of day and continuing till 



