Skunk 
‘wo with a coat of coarse brownish grizzled fur, head and nape 
srizzled, grayish, rufous white. The fur is prime at two years, 
though the animal is not full-grown until its fourth or fifth vear. 
‘“‘The sea otter mother sleeps in the water on her back, 
with her young clasped between her fore-paws. The pup can- 
not live without its mother. Their food is almost entirely com- 
posed of clams, mussels and sea urchins, of which they are very 
fond and which they break up by striking the shells together, 
held in each fore-paw, sucking out the contents as they are 
fractured by these efforts. They also undoubtedly eat crabs and 
fish, and the juicy, tender fronds of kelp. They are not polyga- 
mous, and more than one individual is seldom seen at a time 
when out at sea. They are playful, it would seem, for I am 
assured by several old hunters that they have watched the sea- 
otter for half an hour as it lay upon its back in the water, and 
tossed a piece of sea-weed in the air from paw to paw, ap- 
parently taking great delight in catching it before it could fall 
into the water.” 
Varieties of the Otter 
1. Northern Otter. Lutra canadensis Schreber. Description and 
range as above. 
2. Carolina Otter. L. canadensis lataxina (Cuvier). Much lighter 
brown, becoming pale grayish brown on the throat. 
Range. Lower Middle and South Atlantic States. 
3. Florida Otter. L. canadensis vaga Bangs. Darker and redder 
than the last but not so black as the Northern otter, almost 
as dark below as above. 
Range. Florida, southern Georgia and along the Gulf Coast 
to Louisiana. 
4. Newfoundland Otter. L. degener. Bangs. Very dark, prac- 
tically black with brown reflections. Size smaller than 
any of the preceding. 
Skunk 
Mephitis putida (Cuvier) 
Called also Polecat. 
Length. 2 feet. 
Description. Body covered with long hair, tail very large and 
bushy; colour black with a white patch on the back of the 
neck, from which two stripes extend down the back and 
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