IJ4 MAMMALIA. FER^. Otters. 



lour mixed together, the fur having two feries of hairs, the fhorter of which are yellowifh, .and the 

 long ones black ; the top of the head is hoary ; the chin white •, the feet are broad, < ebbed, and co- 

 vered with hair ; the tail is duiky, and becomes broader and darker coloured towards the end. This 

 is a moil exceffively fetid animal, but its fur is very valuable, being efleemed next in beauty to that 

 of die Sable. 



230 8. Cayenne Otter. — M. Lutra guianenfis. 



The hind feet are webbed; the toes on the fore feet unconnected ; and the tail is long, 

 taper, and naked. 



Small Guiana Otter. Sm. Buff. iv. 236. pi. lxix. 



Inhabits Cayenne, and probably in other parts of South America. — Is only about feven inches long, 

 from the nofe to the rump ; the tail is near feven inches long, of a brown colour, has no hair, is 

 thick at the origin, and gradually diminifhes to the extremity, which is white, it is round above and 

 flat below, and is covered with a rough granulated fkin ; the upper parts of the head and body are 

 marked with large brownifh black fpots, exactly correfponding on both fides, and the intervals are of 

 a yellowifh grey colour ; all the under parts of the body and head, and the fore parts of the fore legs, 

 are white, and there is a white fpot over each eye ; the ears are large and round ; the mouth is gar- 

 nifhed with long whifkers. 



The Count de BufFon informs us that there are three fpecies of Otters in Cayenne : ift, Black, 

 which weighs from forty to fifty French pounds. 2d, Yellowifh, weighing twenty or twenty-five 

 pounds. 3d, The fmall greyifh kind, above defcribed, which only weighs three or four pounds. 

 The other two are not defcribed ; but they are faid to appear in numerous troops, to be very fierce 

 and dangerous, and to defend themfelves againft dogs, biting very cruelly ; they litter in holes which 

 they dig on the banks of rivers ; are often tamed and brought up in houfes. 



The fame great naturalift, on the authority of two gentlemen who refided in Cayenne, mentions 

 a large animal, under the name of Otter, weighing near a hundred pounds, which lives in the large 

 unfrequented rivers, often fhowing its head above water ; its cry is heard at a great diftance ; the 

 hair is foft, fhort, and of a dark brown colour ; it lives on fifli, and fuch grain as falls into the water 

 from the bank I fhould rather fufpect this laft animal to belong to the Seal genus. — T. 



340 9. Minx. — 4. M. Lutra Minx. 5. 



The feet are webbed; and the whole body is of a uniform full chefnut colour. 

 Schreber, ML 463. tab. exxvii. B. 



Muftela Vifon. Syft. nat. ed. Gmel. 1. p. 94. n. 5.— Muftela caflanea, Weafel, having the whole 

 body covered with dark chefnut coloured hair. Brill", quad. 1 76. n. 6. — Minx. Lawfon Carotin. 121. 

 Kalnu it. iii. 22.. 



Inhabits North America.— This, animal lives on the banks of the rivers, preying on fifties, birds, 

 and mice, and fometimes frequents the farm-houfes. Mr Pennant confiders this as being the fame 

 animal with the LefTer Otter already defcribed, though the colour of the two are certainly different:. 



Dr Gmelin quotes an animal from the Count de BufFon, as a fynonime to this, under the name of 

 Yijw, whkh has a much greater refemblance te a Weafel than to an Otter,, and cannot therefore be 



the 



