Class I. OTTER. lai 



differ specifically from the kind that frequents 

 fresh waters. Did not Aristotle place his 

 luOtax* among the animals which seek their 

 food among fresh waters, we should imagine we 

 had here recovered this lost animal, which he 

 mentions immediately after the otter, and de- 

 scribes as being broader. Though this must 

 remain a doubt, we may with greater confidence 

 suppose the sea otter to be the Loup marin of 

 £elo?i,'[ which from a hearsay account, he says, 

 is found on the English coasts. He compares 

 its form to that of a wolf, and says, it feeds ra- 

 ther on fish than sheep. That circumstance 

 alone makes it probable, SibbalcVs animal was 

 intended, it being well known, the otter declines 



* Toicculcc Se zTTiv o re >ia\8[X£vo; Ka(rtc'jp, koci t'o cra^s^iov, 

 HXt TO (TolJv^iov, nai svvo^i;, kcci 'h xaAypsv)} Xaloc^. strri $s 

 T'slo TtXatvls^ov evv^pi^og, %ai cSovla; s^si i-^j^sg f^istra yap 

 yvKtuo^ itoXXa-Kii, rag Tts^i rov 7tola,[j.oy xs^KiSag skIsimvei roig 

 o^scnov. §aKvsi Sa rsg av^ujTtsg xai r, sw^ig ncci sk a(pirj(ny, 

 wg Xsyii(ri, ixs')(^^ig av o<T8 ^^ocpov a>i'S(TYi. ro Ss r^iy^ouixa, s^si, 

 -ij Xocla^ (rxKYjOov, ymi ro stSog fj.sra^u rs r-^g (pcuxr/g t^iy^ou[ji.x- 

 log, KffA 7"s tYjg £Aa08. Aristot. Hist. Anim. p. 905. A. 



Sunt etiam in hoc genere (sc. animalium quadrupedum quce 

 victum ex lacuhus etjiuviis peiunt) Jiher, saiJieriuni, safyrium, 

 lutris, latax, quce iatior lutre est, dentesque hulet rohustos, 

 quippe quce noctu plerujnque aggredie7is, vngulta proxima suis 

 dentibus, ut ferro prcecidtit. Lutris etiam hominem mordet, nee 

 desistit (utferunt) 7iisi fracti ossis crepitum senserit. Lataci 

 pilus durus, specie inter pilumvituli marini et cervi, 



t Belon de la Nature des Poissons, p. 28. pi. SQ. ■• 



