686 THE CARNIVORES 



nightfall. When in such companies, the otters utter a kind of whistling sound, 

 which is said to have some resemblance to the mewing of cats. Hensel states that, 

 when traveling on the Brazilian rivers in a canoe, the voyager, when shooting out 

 from beneath the overhanging branches of a tree, may often see a number of black 

 objects in the water, which at his approach tend to collect together. Careful ob- 

 servation will show that these are otters, but by the time the canoe has reached the 

 spot where they were first seen all will have disappeared. Soon, however, the 

 traveler's ears are struck by a peculiar snorting sound, and, as he looks around, he 

 sees the water on all sides dotted with the dark heads of the giant otters, which, 

 with a second snort, disappear again as quick as lightning beneath the surface. 



The feline otter (L. felina) is, on the other hand, one of the small- 

 Feline Otter , r ,, . .... . , , 



est members of the group, agreeing approximately in size with the 



Indian clawless otter. It is characterized by its relatively-short face and its light 

 and delicate teeth, the inner tubercle of the upper flesh-tooth being much smaller 

 than in the other species from the same regions. This species also differs from 

 other otters in being almost exclusively marine in its habits. In regard to its dis- 

 tribution, Mr. O. Thomas states that "in the Southern Hemisphere it extends to 

 the straits of Magellan, where its range meets that of the larger Brazilian otter. 

 Thence northward it is exceedingly common along the coasts of Patagonia and 

 Chili, where the complex labyrinths of gulfs and channels are highly favorable to 

 its manner of life." It has been found in Peru and Ecuador. 



In regard to the naked-nosed and flat-headed South-American otters, inter- 

 mediate in size between the two last species, there is still much uncertainty, but 

 they are all provisionally included under the name of L. paranensis. 



In addition to the common European otter, which as we have 

 Smooth Indian in . ,11 A T j- ^1 



_ already seen, is represented by a variety in India, there are three In- 



dian and Malayan representatives of the group. The first of these 

 species is the smooth Indian otter {L. macrodiis), readily distinguished from the 

 common otter by the upper border of the naked portion of the muzzle forming a 

 straight line, while the fur is very smooth and short. Then, again, the skull is less 

 depressed and flattened, and the molar and flesh-tooth in the upper jaw are very 

 large, the latter differing from the corresponding tooth of the common species by 

 the larger proportionate size of the tubercular portion on the inner side of the blade. 

 This otter is found all over India, and also extends to Burma, the Malay Peninsula, 

 and Sumatra. Its habits appear to be very similar to those of the common otter, 

 and, like the latter, it is trained for fishing. 



The hairy-nosed otter (L. sumatrana) is a very well-marked species 

 Hairy-Nosed . ,. . . , , . ,. , ,, 



Q,. from the Malayan region, distinguished, as its name implies, by the 



muzzle being completely covered with hair; the inner tubercle of the 

 upper flesh-tooth being relatively small. A closely-allied extinct species (/,. 

 palceindica) occurs in the Siwalik hills of Northern India. 



There is also the much smaller Indian clawless otter (/,. cinerea}, 



er differing from the others not only by its inferior dimensions, but also 



by the rudimentary condition, or even total absence, of the claws. The upper 



teeth (shown in the figure on p. 681) are distinguished by the absence of the first 



