8 Otters and Otter-Hunting. 



near Hucca-by-Cleaves on the West Dart, a dog 

 of 191b. — there is the evidence of Messrs. Harvie- 

 Brown and Buckley in "A Fauna of Argyll " 

 (p. 17), who report " a pure white Otter in Mr. 

 Henry Evan's collection at Small Isles^ which was 

 killed in Jura," and who add " there is another 

 at Kildalton House, Islay." 



Desmarest reports an Otter — stated by Lesson 

 to have been found near Paris, and said by Bell 

 to be preserved in the Museum of the Jardin des 

 Plantes — which was '' of a lively yellowish-brown 

 colour, whitish-brown beneath; the sides of the 

 head, the throat, and the upper parts of the neck 

 whitish, and the whole upper part of the fur 

 irregularly spotted with pure white." 



It must not be forgotten, however, that the ten- 

 dency of stuffed Otters in glass cases, especially 

 when exposed to the sun or to a strong light, is 

 to grow gradually paler in colour ; and I have 

 seen a stuffed specimen which had stood out of 

 doors for some months in Ireland and had become 

 bleached to a dirty cream colour. White Otters, 

 nevertheless, must be extremely rare, or they would 

 be more frequently reported, their very colour being 

 against them. 



The range and distribution of Lutra vulgaris 

 extend, in the Old World, over the whole of 

 Europe, and over Asia north of the Himalayas. 



