1895.] ON DOUBLE MALFOEMATIOlfS AMONGST FISHES. 423 



aud has taken two from the inside of an Otter be killed. It is 

 not absolutely known at what age the Otter arrives at maturity ; 

 Mr. Snow believes that they do so in the third year. 



" Habits. Crabs and sea-urchin s are the usual contents of the 

 stomach, but occasionally small fish and spawn are also found. 

 The crabs are crushed by the strong molar teeth ; it being impos- 

 sible that the crushing is produced by the striking of two shells 

 together in the manner described by Elliot, as the form of the 

 fore feet will not allow of anything being grasped. The Otter 

 dives for its food and returns to the surface with the prey held 

 between its two fore paws, in which it continues to hold it while 

 eating it. On many occasions Mr. Snow has seen schools of from 

 10 to 50 or more Otters together some 10 or 15 miles from any 

 land, but not of late years. 



" Hunting. The mode adopted by Europeans is to ' run ' the 

 Sea-Otter with three boats, each manned by 4 or 5 men, a hunter 

 being in the bow armed with a rifle. When an Otter is 'raised' 

 (as it is called)the boats proceed to surround it, lying some 500 to 600 

 yards apart in the form of a triangle. The boats are so manoeuvred 

 that the otter is kept between them. Every time the animal 

 makes its appearance above water, it is shot at, until it is secured. 

 When the Sea-Otter is netted, as described on page 101 of the 

 volume cited, it becomes entangled in the meshes and drowned. 

 The long white hairs of the fur, which are not removed in di-essing, 

 form its chief beauty." 



Apart from the interesting account of the creature's habits, the 

 especial importance of these notes is in regard to the doubling 

 back of the hind feet, and the jumping motion in walking ; in both 

 of which respects the Sea-Otter appears to resemble the true Seals. 

 I regret my correspondent has not sent me a photograph of the 

 living animal ; but the accompanying reproduction of a photograph 

 of a recently killed specimen, as it lay on deck (p. 422), gives a 

 good idea of the form of the hind feet and tail. 



4. On Double Malformations amongst Fishes. By Bertram 

 C. A. WiNDLE, D.Sc., M.D., M.A., Professor o£ Anatomy 

 in Mason College, Birmingham. 



[Eeceived May 10, 1895.] 

 (Plate XXV.) 



I. Introduction. 



The following observations are based upon the examination of 

 about fifty ti'out-embryos presenting some grade, more or less 

 advanced, of double monstrosity, and upon the descriptions of 

 similar or allied forms to be met \Mth in the literature of the 

 subject, which I have endeavoured to examine as exhaustively as 

 possible. As I shall have to allude to most of these papers in a 

 later part of this communication, J shall here content myself with 



