LTTTBA. 183 



the colours of the upper and under surfaces are well defined. The 

 young is dusky brown above, paler below, with the two colours less 

 distinct. 



Dimensions. Head and body 25 to 29 inches, tail 15 to 16 ; 

 weight about lb* to 20 Ibs., sometimes more. (The measurements 

 given of this animal in India are inextricably mixed up with those 

 of the next species*.) A Calcutta skull of an old male measures in 

 basal length 4'25 inches, zygomatic breadth 2'7, height from bet ween 

 bullae 1-35 (in another 1-5). The corresponding measurements of a 

 female skull are 4, 2-55, and 1'3 inches. 



Distribution. The common otter is found throughout the Palae- 

 arctic region, extending into the North-west Himalayas ; and the 

 Indian form, usually known as L. nair, appears to inhabit nearly 

 the whole of India and Ceylon, and to occur east of the Bay of 

 Bengal. Owing to the circumstance that the next species, L. ellioti, 

 has only lately been clearly distinguished, the relative distribution 

 of the two cannot be precisely ascertained. 



Varieties and Synonymy. Although I can find no constant 

 characters by which to distinguish the Indian otter, L. nair, from 

 the European otter, L. vulyaris, I cannot help suspecting that they 

 may be distinct. As a rule, L. vulyaris appears to be larger, the 

 fur is more rufous and but rarely grizzled. The skull is larger, 

 the brain-case broader, and the upper sectorial and molar propor- 

 tionally smaller and shorter. Generally the anterior point of the 

 upper sectorial is nearer to the hinder edge of the molar than to 

 the anterior border of the canine. The reverse is the case in 

 L. nair. But on examining a considerable series I find not one of 

 these characters constant, and the skulls, as well as the skins, 

 appear to me in some cases undistinguishable. 



The type of L. nair came from Pondicherry ; that of L. indica 

 was also from Southern India, and was collected by Sir W. Elliot. 



Anderson (1. c. p. 207) has pointed out how difficult it is to 

 identify Hodgson's species, as the types were forwarded to the 

 British Museum without the names being attached, and the skulls 

 were received separately without any indication of the skins to 

 which they respectively belonged. The skins now marked L. 

 tarayensis in the Collection belong to the next species, but Hodgson's 

 description must, I think, apply to the presentl 



Habits. Otters inhabit rivers chiefly, but are occasionally found 

 in India in large tanks, and they are common in the great back- 

 waters of the Western Coast, and in the Chilka Lake of Orissa. 

 They also occur in salt-water inlets and tidal streams, and occa- 

 sionally enter the sea. They are usually seen in India in parties 

 of five, six, or more, consisting probably of a pair of old animals 

 and their full-grown or nearly full-grown offspring. These live 

 together in a den, usually amongst rocks, or, in alluvial countries, 

 in an extensive burrow with several entrances on an elevated spot 

 close to the water. One entrance to the den is generally under 

 the water. The presence of otters, wherever they inhabit, is 



