at &mmatetr $aturr. 475 



times during a quarter of an hour, as the 

 young ones kept going into the water as fast 

 as she got them out. Sometimes the young 

 held on by the fur at her sides, at others by 

 that at the tail. As soon as there was suffi- 

 cient water for her to reach them from the 

 side of the pond, she took hold of them by 

 the ears with her mouth, and drew them out 

 of the pond, and led them round the pond 

 close to the fence, and kept chattering to 

 them, as if she was telling them not to go into 

 the pond again." 



The AMERICAN or CANADA OTTER (Lutra 

 lataxiua] resembles the European species, 

 but is considerably larger. Both have a 

 habit peculiar to these animals : this is 

 sliding or climbing to the top of a ridge of 

 snow in winter, or a sloping moist bank in 

 summer, where, lying on the belly, with the 

 fore legs bent backwards, they give them- 

 selves an impulse with the hind legs that 

 enables them to glide swiftly down the 

 eminence. This sport they continue for a 

 long time. The colour of the whole body, 

 except the chin and throat, which are a 

 dusky white, is a glossy brown. Many are 

 caught for the sake of their skins, which are 

 very dense and fine, and are much esteemed. 

 The common mode of taking them is by 

 sinking a steel trap near the mouth of their 

 burrow. 



The SEA-OTTER (Enhydra hitris) is a much 

 larger species than the preceding, and pre- 

 sents such modifications of its palmated feet, 

 and of its teeth, as to form the type of a 

 distinct sub-genus (Enhydra), which con- 

 nects the Otter with the Seal. It weighs 

 from seventy to eighty pounds. Its colour 

 when in full season is perfectly black ; at 

 other times of a dark brown. It has six 

 incisors in the upper, and four in the lower 

 jaw ; the grinders being broad, and well 

 adapted for breaking crustaceous animals. 

 It runs very swiftly, and swims with extreme 

 celerity, either on its back, sides, or some- 

 times as if upright in the water. The hind 

 feet resemble those of a seal, and have a 

 membrane skirting the outside of the ex- 

 terior toe, like that of a goose. It is exclu- 

 sively found between the forty-ninth and 

 sixtieth degrees north latitude, on the north- 

 western coasts of North America, and the 

 shores of Kamtschatka and the adjoining 

 islands. It is caught by placing a net among 

 the sea-weed, or by chasing it in boats. The 

 female brings forth but one at a birth, and 

 is extremely sedulous in her attention to 

 her offspring, playing with and fondling it 

 in various ways. The Sea-Otter haunts sea- 

 washed rocks, lives mostly in the water, and 

 approximates to the seals more than to the 



where they are obtained, are the obvious 

 reasons why so few are seen in the European 

 market. Sir George Simpson tells us that 

 since 1814 the Russians have sent to market 

 from California the enormous number of 

 80,000 Sea-Otters, besides a large supply of 

 Fur Seals. 



OUNCE. [See JAOCAE.] 



OUZEL, or RING OUZEL. (Turdus 

 torqwttus.) This bird is somewhat larger 

 than the Blackbird, which it much resembles 

 in its general habits. Its general colour is 

 dull black ; each feather margined with ash 



Otters in its habits. The flesh of the young 

 Sea-Otters is said to be very delicate food, 

 not unlike lamb. The Kamtschatdales, on 

 whose coasts these animals are chiefly killed, 

 exchange the skins with the Russians for 

 those of the fox and sable, and the Russian 

 merchants sell them principally to the 

 Chinese, with whom they are in great re- 

 quest, and who pay for them at the rate of 

 from seventy to a hundred roubles each. 

 This great price, and the great distance from 



RING OCZKL. (TURDU8 TOBQTJATtJS.') 



gray ; the bill is durfky ; corners of the 

 mouth and inside yellow ; eyes hazel ; and 

 the legs dusky brown. The breast of the 

 male is distinguished by a crescent of pure 

 white, which almost surrounds the neck : 

 on the female this crescent is much less con- 

 spicuous, and in some birds it is wholly 

 wanting. Ring Ouzels are found in various 



| parts of this kingdom, chiefly in the wilder 

 and more mountainous districts. The female 

 builds her nest in the same manner and in 



! the same situations as the Blackbird, and 

 lays four or five eggs of the same colour. 

 Their food consists of insects and berries. 



The WATER OUZEL, or DIPPER, (Cinclus 

 ayuaticus), is a bird of a very retired nature, 



! resorting to small brooks and rivulets which 

 flow rapidly among stones and fragments of 



1 rocks in hilly countries. There it may be 

 seen perched on the top of a_ stone in the 

 midst of a torrent, in a continual dipping 

 motion, whilst watching for its food, which 

 consists of small fishes and insects. The 

 Rev. George Gordon mentions that in some 



j of the rivers of the north of Scotland it is 

 very partial to and destroys the spawn of the 

 Sea Trout (Salmo trutta), from wliich it most 

 probably has obtained its no enviable place 



; in the following ancient distich : 



j " The Gordon, the guile, and the water-cram 

 Are the three worst ills that the Moray ever saw." 



! The Gordons being one of the Highland clans, 

 I famed for their incursions in former times ; 

 1 and the guile being a weed, very destructive 

 . in corn-fields. The upper parts of the head 

 j and neck are deepish rusty brown ; the back, 

 j rump, scapulars, wing-coverts, belly, and 



