196 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Apr. 2, 



ETHIOPIAN OTTERS. 



The Otters of the African Region present no difficulty whatever as 

 to their definition. Two species only are known, the large clawless 

 one of South and West Africa, and the smaller clawed L. tnaculicollis. 

 Of the three early names for the former species authors have, as 

 usual, carefully avoided the one that has priority, altliough constantly 

 putting it down as a synonym, and have divided their attentions 

 between " L. inunguis " and " L. lalandii," 



The following appears to be the proper synonymy of the two 

 species : — 



1. LUTRA CAPENSIS. 



L. capensis, Schinz, Cuv. Thierr. i. p. 214 (1821). 



L. inunguis, F. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxvii. p. 247 (1823). 



Aonyx delnlandi. Less. Man. Mamm. p. 157 (1827). 



Lutra poensis, Waterh.' P. Z. S. 1838, p. 60. 



Anahyster calabaricus, Murr. P. Rov. Phys. Soc. Ediob. ii. 

 p. 158 (1860). 



Lutra lenoiri, Rochebr. Vertebr. Nov. Afr. Occ. ser. 3, p. 9, 

 1888(?). (Privately printed, and probably not really published at all 

 in the technical sense of the word.) 



2. LuTRA MACULICOLLIS. 



Lutra maculicollis, Licht. Arch. f. Nat. 1835, i. p. ^9, pi. ii. fig. I 

 (animal). 



Lutra grayi, Verr. apud Gray (never described). 

 Hydrogale maculicollis, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 132. 



AMERICAN OTTERS. 



It is due to the want of material and other difficulties in connec- 

 tion with the American, and especially the South-American, Otters, 

 that the present paper is necessarily only a preliminary account of 

 the genus, and not a complete monograph. But I may be permitted 

 to express a hope that collectors and others having opportunities of 

 obtaining Otters from the tropical parts of South America will aid in 

 the future revision of the genus by contributing to our National 

 Collection any specimens that they may be able to procure. 



Although, therefore, I am unable to work out the New-World 

 Otters completely, the following points at least seem to be fairly 

 clear, and may be of service to future workers on the subject. 



As to the common North-American Otter nothing but a passing 

 reference is necessary, as its synonymy and characteristics have been 

 fully worked out and described by Dr. Elliott Coues". It may be 



1 This name probably belongs here, but the typical skin, being without feet 

 or skull, it ia impossible to be quite certain until further specimens are obtained 

 from the same locality. The same may be said of " Ltifra lenoiri " on account 

 of the absence, as usual, of all diagnostic characters in what its describer calls 

 a " diagnosis." 



- Fur-bearing Animals, p. 295 (1877). 



