194 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Apr. 2, 
is possible to make out anything from them, are far more like those 
of Z. vulgaris than L. sumatrana. Independently, therefore, of the 
skull, I should place ‘‘ Z. aurobrunnea” as asynonym of L. vulgaris. 
The skull (‘“ Z. nepalensis”) presents an interesting example of 
the difficulty of making out the species of Otter from cranial cha- 
racters alone, for while both Gray and Blanford have looked upon it 
as showing close affinities to the hairy-nosed LZ. sumatrana, I am 
convinced, on the other hand, that it is only the skull of a female 
Lutra vulgaris, more or less degenerated by living in captivity. 
Thus it shows unequivocal traces of confinement in the peculiarly 
roughened and more or less diseased character of the bone, especially 
round the bases of the canines. Now the only differences that I can 
find between this skull and that of an undoubted ZL. vulgaris (9 ) 
lie in its rather smaller size and a general weakness in dentition, both 
easily explainable on the theory of the animal having been brought 
up in captivity. 
Should this view be correct, the species (No. 94 of Mr. Blanford’s 
work) must be altogether expunged from the list of the Mammals of 
British India, as both LZ. aurobrunnea and L. nepalensis will come 
under LZ. vulgaris (No. 92). Nor can its place be taken by the 
true hairy-nosed Otter, L. sumatrana, which, so far as is yet known, 
does not occur north of Malacca. 
The individual identity of the skull of ‘* Z. nepalensis” and the 
skin of ‘‘ Z. aurobrunnea” is rendered at the same time both more 
probable and less important by the independent reference of each to 
LL. vulgaris. It may also just be noted that the skin is clearly that 
of a female. 
(3) Lutra macrodus, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 128; Cat. Carn. 
B. M. p. 105 (1869). 
This Otter, described by Dr. Gray from two fine skins said to 
have come from Brazil, has long been a puzzle to workers on American 
Mustelide. The skull proves that it is entirely distinct from any 
previously known Brazilian Otter, and I should unhesitatingly re- 
cognize it as a valid species, were it not that no difference whatever 
can be found, either external or cranial, between it andthe Indian 
Lutra barang (species B above). As to the locality of the types, 
Dr. Gray expressly states that “‘M. Parzudaki assured me that he 
had received the pair direct from Brazil, from a collector who shot 
them ;” but in spite of this assurance I am inclined to believe that 
some change of specimens or other mistake occurred, and that they 
really came from the Indian Region. Other Brazilian specimens 
since received and referred by Dr. Gray to L. macrodus prove, on an 
examination of their skulls, to be really quite different from it, so 
that the locality for the originals has never been confirmed. Con- 
sidering, therefore, these facts, I look upon “ L. macrodus” as a 
synonym of LZ. barang, at least until any such Otter is found in 
South America—a contingency that would-be describers of new 
species of Neotropical Otters should be prepared for. 
