314 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



familiar, and were kept on bread and milk. I am not, there- 

 fore surprised, says he, that they were so far trained, asGes- 

 ner relates, as to catch and bring fish to their master. They 

 are animals not wanting in intelligence, and which have 

 scarcely any other instincts than those of choosing a fit re- 

 treat, and furnishing it with dry grass. Instinct is ever 

 less predominant, in proportion as intelligence is more so. 

 Their flesh is not palatable, but their fur is much esteemed. 



The nails of the Otter are very short, and grooved ; 

 the fingers have, underneath, toward their extremity, a 

 round tubercle ; a large tubercle, in four lobes, is found in 

 the middle of the palm, and there is a third at the base of 

 the carpus. To the hind feet there are only the simple 

 rounded tubercle of the toe, and that of the middle of the 

 palm, which is divided into three lobes. The eye is fur- 

 nished with a third lid, which appears entirely to cover the 

 cornea. The ear has, on its lower part, a lobe, which may 

 be considered analogous to the tragus, and a slight swelling 

 on the opposite side, answering to the antitragus. In the 

 upper part of the cavity of the conque, another slight protu- 

 berance, which may be considered to correspond with a 

 branch of the helix or anthelix, although these branches do 

 not, in fact, exist. The nostrils are surrounded with thick 

 glands, and open in the lower part of the angular furrow, 

 which forms their orifice. The upper lips have long, stiff 

 mustachios. It is uniformly brown above, and whitish un- 

 derneath. 



A variety of the Common Otter is found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Paris, covered with a number of small round spots, 

 irregularly placed. 



The Brazilian, or American Otter, (Lutra Brasiliensis) 

 is brown, or yellowish, with a throat generally white, but 

 sometimes yellow. It is something larger than our Otter, 

 and is found in the rivers both of North and South America. 



This Otter appears to be gregarious, inhabiting the 



