32 FERJE. THE OTTER TRIBE* 



broad and muscular ; and the joints so loosely articulated, that the 

 animal is able, at pleasure, to turn them quite back, and to bring 

 them into a line with the body, so as to make them perform the 

 office of fins. Toes likewise exceedingly strong, and connected 

 together by narrow but stout webs. All the toes on the same foot 

 are nearly of equal length, and the spaces betwixt them are also 

 equal. The extremities of the toes above, and the whole under parts 

 of the feet, are naked. The otter has no heel; but under the sole of 

 the foot there is a round ball, by which, and the impression of the 

 claws, its track in the mud is easy to be distinguished. Tail very 

 thick, particularly towards its origin. 



Colour of body deep brown, except a small white patch on each 

 side of the nose, and another under the chin. W. B. 



Not uncommon in Great Britain or Ireland, particularly in dis- 

 tricts which border upon the sea. 



Mustela plantis palmatis nudis caudd corpore dimidio 

 breviore. Mustela lutra. Linn. Syst. Nat. Gmel, i. 

 p. 93. 



Lutra plantis nudis^ cauda corpore dimidio^ breviore. 

 Lutra vulgaris. Erxleben, Syst. regn. animal, gen. 41, 

 sp. 2, p. 448. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 437. 



Mustela lutra. Otter. Turton, i. p. 57. 



Mustela lutra piscatoria. Common Otter, Kerr, p. 172. 



Lutra castanei colons. Brisson, regn. animal, p. 277. 



Lutra. Klein, quad. disp. p. 91. Gesner, p. 684.--. 

 Ruysch, i. pa. 1, p. 104. Raii. Syn. quadr. p. 187. 



La Loutre. Buff. Sonn. xxir. p. 346, tab. 16, fig. 1, 2. 



La Loutre ordinaire. Cuv. Tab. Element, p. 115. 



Common Otter. Shaw's Gen. Zool. i. p. 437, tab. 

 100. Smellie's Buffon, iv. p. 232, tab. 68, fig. 1, 2. 

 Bing. Anim. Biog. . 3d edit. i. p. 344. 



Otter. Penn. Quadr. ii. p. 77. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 

 p. 92, tab. 8, fig. 19. Daniel's Rural Sports, 8vo. edit. i. 

 p. 514, tab. opp. 



THE 



