234 CALIFORNIA MAMMADS. 



Type locality, Kittittas County, Washington. 



Pacific Otters range from Central California northward 

 through Alaska. As the principal food of Otters is fish caught 

 in fresh waters they do not occur in southern California. They 

 are known to occur about suitable streams in the central and 

 northern part of the State. At the forks of Eel River I saw 

 where an Otter had been playing on the sand at the river shore. 

 It had not gone more than a dozen feet from the water. Its 

 tracks showed that it had pushed itself along on its belly in the 

 sand. 



The food of the Otter is fish caught by pursuit in the water, 

 but usually eaten on the bank. A pastime of Otters is sliding 

 down banks on their bellies, banks that end in the water being 

 usually chosen. The young are born in March and April, and 

 are one to three in number. Otters are nocturnal, very shy, and 

 therefore seldom' seen. Their fur while valuable is not nearly as 

 high priced as that of the Sea Otter. 



Lutra canadensis sonora Rhoads. 



SONORA OTTER. 



Similar to paciUca, but paler and apparently larger, postor- 

 bital processes slender; distance from point of angular pi^ocess of 

 lower jaw to summit of coronal process greater proportionally 

 than in pacifica. 



Type locality, Montezuma Well, Yavapai County, Arizona. 



Sonoran Otters are occasionally caught in the Colorado 

 River. While not common, they are not very rare. 



Subfamily Melinse. (Badgers and Skunks.) 

 Toes but partly or not webbed ; body short and stout ; skull 

 comparatively long; sectorial teeth moderately developed. 



Genus Taxidae Waterhousu. (Badger — form.) 

 Body stout, very flat; tail short, flat; fore claws but little 



