Chapt. xv. Lutra nair. 209 



"killed them if it had not been prevented. It entered 

 "all the rooms, and slept always below the bed, was very 

 "cleanly, and always visited one particular spot for the 

 "deposit of its excrements. 



"According to D'Azara it inhabits the lakes, rivers, 

 "and rivulets of Paraguay, who at first stated that he 

 "did not believe that it entered salt-water, and that its 

 "geographical range did not extend to the river Plata; 

 "but in his French abridgement he states that the spe- 

 "cies is found in that river." 



Lastly I must give the reader an extract from our 

 eminent Indian Naturalist Jerdon's work on "The Mam- 

 "mals of India," where he treats of "The common Indian 

 "Otter" which he calls Lutra nair. 



"Accepting the synonymy as above* then, this otter 



*Fam.Mustelidce, Weasels and Martens. Lutra Nair. 

 F. Cuvier — L. chinensis and L. indica; Gray — L.. tarayensis; 

 Hodgson — Elliot, Cat 15. Blyth, Cat 214. Pani-huta, H; Mr-nhi, 

 Can.; Neeru-huka, Tel.; — -all signifying water-dog. — Jal Manjer, Mahr. 

 i. e. water-cat. Ud or Hud, Udni Udbillau, Hindi. 



The common Indian Otter. 



"Description. — Above hair brown, or light chestnut-brown, in some 

 "grizzled with hoary tips, in others with a tinge of isabella yellow; be- 

 "neath yellowish-white, or reddish- white; upper lips, sides of head and 

 "neck, chin and throat, whitish, the line of separation between the two 

 "colours more or less distinctly marked ; in some the throat tinged with 

 "orange brown; paws albescent in some, simply of a lighter shade in 

 "others; tail brown beneath. F. Cuvier, in his description, mentions 

 "some pale facial spots, but these are indistinct, though there is some- 

 times a faint pale eyebrow. 



"Total length up to 48 inches, of which the tail is 17, and 3 inches 

 "wide .at the base. 



27 



