Fur-Bearing Animals. 



221 



salmon, it will eat only a narrow strip along the back, and leave 

 the rest to decay on the rocks. The fur is exceedingly beautiful, the 

 skins being valued at from $20 to 830 each. They are quite large, 

 some being from four to six feet long, the average being about three 

 and a half feet. There are vast numbers of the otter in the far 

 north, and especially to the west of Hudson's Bay. Thousands of 

 them are taken annually by Eskimos and Indians, and the skins 

 traded at the Hudson's Bay posts. 



The hair or fur of the Canada lynx, which is of a dark grey, 

 flecked with black, is quite long. Large and indistinct patches of 

 the fur are of a considerably darker tint than the generality of its 

 coat. The hairs are all white at the tips, which gives them a pecu- 



THE OTTER. 



liar hue. The limbs are darker than the rest of the body, and the 

 ears almost entirely white. The peculiar colour of the fur varies 

 according to the season. In summer it becomes a sort of chestnut, 

 but in the depth of winter it attains its whitest hue. 



The limbs of the lynx are very powerful. Its somewhat massive 

 feet are furnished with long, white claws, completely hid from view 

 by the bushy fur which covers them. Its favourite diet is the hare, 

 which it devours ravenously. The lynx is a good swimmer, being 

 able to cross streams two and three miles wide. One of its pecu- 

 liarities is the ease with which it may be killed. A slight blow on 

 the back with a small stick is sufficient to destroy its life. The 



