1914] Grinnell: Distribution of River Otitis in California 309 



other skins from California are almost identical in these respects with 

 the type of brevipilosus. All are full-pelaged winter skins. 



As for name, the only synonym apparently requiring consideration 

 is the "Lutra califoTnica Gray," and this seems to have been dis- 

 posed of with finality by Thomas (1889, p. 198), as applying to a 

 South American form of remote relationship. 



The type locality of brevipilosus is in the lowland area at the con- 

 fluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. In the included 

 Suisun marshes are many sloughs in which the water varies, accord- 

 ing to the tide and the stage of water in the rivers, from salt to nearly 

 fresh, averaging brackish. From information obtained by Miss 

 Alexander, as well as from other sources, river otters would appear 

 to be even at the present time common along these channels. At least 

 six are reported to have been killed in the vicinity the past winter. 

 Good evidence is at hand that otters have occurred recently across the 

 Suisun marshes as far west as Cordelia Slough. 



Transmitted June 27, 1014. 



LITERATURE CITED 

 Elliot, D. G. 



1905. Descriptions of three apparently new species of mammals. Proc. 



Biol. Soc. Wash., 18, 79-82. 

 Grinnell, J. 



1913. A distributional list of the mammals of California. Proc. Calif. Acad. 

 Sci., 3, 265-390, pis. 15, 16. 

 Heller, E. 



1909. The mammals, in "Birds and mammals of the 1907 Alexander expedition 

 to southeastern Alaska." Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., 5, 245-264, pi. 

 26, 2 figs, in text. 

 Rhoads, S. N. 



1898. Contributions to a revision of the North American beavers, otters and 

 fishers. Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc, n.s., 19, 417-439, pis. 21-25. 

 Stephens. F. 



1906. California mamriVils (San Diego, West Coast Publishing Co.), 351 pp., 



frontispiece, many figs, in text. 

 Thomas, O. 



18S9. Preliminary notes on the characters and synonymy of the different 

 species of otter. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1889, 190-200. 



