454 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XX, 



that all the well-known forms of Santa Mart a mammals, and 

 especially the Carnivora, differ markedly from their allies 

 from Venezuela, Guiana, and Brazil, it seems pretty evident 

 that the Santa Mart a otter forms no exception to the rule. 

 Furthermore, the advance of our knowledge of otters in gen- 

 eral during the last fifteen years, and particularly those of 

 North America, renders it even more probable now than in 

 1889, when Mr. Oldfield Thomas wrote an excellent paper on 

 otters in general (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1889, pp. 190- 

 200), that his suggestion (/. c., p. 199) that there may be "one, 

 two, three, or four Neotropical species in addition to those 

 already mentioned [Lutra brasiliensis and L. felina]" is a 

 foresight that will be verified by the recognition of not less 

 than four additional species or subspecies as soon as the 

 material for their satisfactory investigation becomes avail- 

 able; for all of which there are probably available names, 

 heretofore generally treated as synonyms of a supposed single 

 wide-ranging species. 



"OTTER (called Lutra). Found occasionally along the 

 larger streams, living generally in pairs or families, in holes or 

 burrows along the forest-lined banks. It never goes far from 

 the water, and lives on fish. Otters are easily tamed and 

 make most amusing and affectionate pets; they become at- 

 tached to particular persons, following them about like dogs 

 and often uttering their peculiar plaintive cry. I have seen a 

 tame otter swimming with the village boys and evidently en- 

 joying the sport. I am told that they can be taught to fish 

 for their masters, but have never seen this." H. H. S. 



47. Tayra barbara irara Allen. Fourteen specimens, 

 skins and skulls, and several additional skeletons, all collected 

 at or near Bonda. (See this Bulletin, XX, 1904, p. 36.) 



Since my former note on this species several additional 

 specimens have been found in a lot of duplicates not at that 

 time examined. In two the white spot on the withers is 

 present and in two it is lacking. I notice also that Mr. Bangs 

 (Proc. New Engl. Zool. Club, I, p. 100) has reported the white 

 shoulder spot present in three out of his five specimens. It 

 is thus present in 16 out of 20 known specimens. 



