ItlTaA MiPTONtX. 89 



irough. Color rich chesnut-brown above, golden red below, and on the 

 extremities. Length head and body 20 to 22 inches ; tail 12 to 13. 



Blyth, in his Catalogue, has No. 215, L. , very like L. nair, but 



specimens with adult dentition smaller by one half or nearly so. Found only 

 at great elevations in Ceylon. This is probably the same as the small otter 

 of the Neelgherries, referred to by some writers in the " Bengal Sporting 

 Review," &c. ; by some called the black otter, by others the red one ; 

 and is perhaps the same as Hodgson's L, auro-hrunnea, 



Hodgson has indicated other otters from the Himalayas. In the. 

 Malayan peninsida, besides L. nair, there is another, Lutra harang, Raffles. 



The next otters have the claws very minute, not projecting, but imbedded 

 in the phalanx, the foremost upper prsemolars often naturally wanting, and 

 they have been separated generically as Aonyx, Lesson. The third and 

 fourth toes exceed the others in length, and are more closely united. 

 It was founded on a Cape species, Imtra inunguis. One is found in India 

 extending iuto Malayana. 



103. Lutra leptonyx. 



HoESPiELD, Zool. Res., Java, with figure. — Blyth, Cat. 217. — Aonyx 

 Horsfieldii, Geay. — L. indigitata, and Aonyx s'ikmensis, Hodbson. — 

 Chusam, Bhot. — Suriam, Lepch. 



The Clawlesb Ottek. 



Descr. — Above earthy-brown or chesnut-brown; Ups, sides of head, 

 chin, throat, and upper part of breast white, tinged with yellowish-gray. 

 In young individuals the white of the lower parts is less distinct, sometimes 

 very pale-brownish. 



Length head and body 24 inches ; tail 13 ; palm 2| ; planta 31. 



This otter has been found throughout the Himalayas, from the North- 

 west to Sildm ; also in lower Bengal, in Arrakan, down to the islands, &c. 

 I saw one killed close to Calcutta at the edge of the salt-water lake. It 

 had not previously been recorded from lower Bengal. 



Tribe, DiGITIGEADA. 



- Syn. Gynodia, Blyth in part. 



In walking the digits alone are placed on the ground. These are the 

 most typical of the Camivora, and most of them are very speedy and quick 

 in their actions. 



They differ from the previous tribes in haying a small coecum. 



