MAMMALS OF UTAH 151 



individual range covers a district of several miles extent. 

 It is not either a sociable or gregarious animal, the three 

 or four sometimes seen together in the autumn being usu- 

 ally a mother with her family. 



-An otter sometimes utters a loud sniffing sound, and 

 in times of danger it may snarl or growl, or even chirp to 

 express hunger. 



The mating season occurs towards the end of February ; 

 the nest is built somewhat after the fashion of that of the 

 muskrat in that the entrance is under water. The young, 

 born in mid-April, from one to three in number, are blind 

 for some weeks. 



One of the most peculiar habits of this animal is its 

 construction of slides in the mud or snow, down which they 

 slip- for the sheer fun of it. 



Among the items that enter into an otter's bill of fare 

 may be mentioned trout, frogs, crayfish and wild fowl. 



