CARNIVORA. 203 



other than a variety of the above, and probably 

 identical with the Taira of Bullock's, or London 

 Museum, scarcely differing in figure, and in fur 

 solely that the neck is likewise whitish, but sepa- 

 rated by the black line as before. This variety ? 

 has been believed to be an Otter, residing in the 

 rivers of Guinea, in Africa, but is South American. 



Here we place also the 



Eira ilya of Markgrave ; Carigueba of the In- 

 dians, very correctly, but somewhat coarsely figured 

 in the original drawings of Prince John of Nassau, 

 in the Berlin library. This species, or variety, is 

 entirely blackish-brown, with the head, neck, and 

 throat clear grey ; no trace of a black line from the 

 jaw to the shoulder. It is some inches smaller than 

 the first mentioned Taira ; burrows, climbs, and was 

 pointed out to us by the Indians of Guiana, swim- 

 ming, and occasionally diving for prey : at least the 

 grey head, coupled with the foregoing name, was 

 distinctly visible; and no doubt this, or a Taira, 

 was intended by Sonnini, when he mentions the 

 Grey Headed Otters of Guiana. 



Comparing these with the Pekan figured in the 

 French Encyclopedic, we take the animal, there re- 

 presented with a grey head and neck, gradually be- 

 coming darker on the shoulders and back, to be the 

 North American variety of the species, badly set up 

 and made digitigrade. 



Eira galera, F. Cuv. The Galera is in form so 

 like the first (E. larbara), that it may still be only 

 a variety of colour, the head, neck, and throat in 



