17* 



THE COMMON OTTER. 



Lutra vulgaris. ERXLEB. 

 PLATE XV. 



Dark-brown ; sides of the head and the throat brownish- 

 grey ; tail more than a third of the entire length. 



Mustek Lutra, Linn. Syst. Nat. I. 66. Lutra vulgaris, Des- 

 mar. Mammal. 188 ; Jen. Brit. Vert. Anim. 13 ; Bell, Brit. 

 Quadr. 129. 



ALTHOUGH attempts have been made to constitute 

 the marine Otters of Ireland and the north of Scot- 

 land into a distinct species, they have not hitherto 

 been successful. I have examined specimens, re- 

 cent and preserved, obtained on the sea-coast and 

 in rivers, but am unable to point out any differences 



