156 



ON THE GENUS LUTRA. 



was most shrewd and intelligent. He was deemed a conjuror 

 by. his tribe, and bore that name at our establishment amongst the 



Figure 3. 



L. destructor ; lower jaw three-fourths natural size. 



servants. I was told by him that it was the small otter, which he 

 styled Pinaikiwawkeek, that killed the beavers, by breaking down 

 their dams and getting into their houses ; or so disturbing them as 



Figure 6. 



L. Canadensis; lower jaw three-fourths natural size. 



to take them at disadvantage abroad, devouring the young, and all 

 he could succeed in mastering. Had this animal been the young 

 of the Canadian otter, it would have been named Neekeekous, 

 i. e. the diminutive affix would have been used with Neekeek. 



