384 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



friend of the late Edward Alston once saw an Otter " with an 

 irregular white collar round its neck, seemingly formed of a 

 collection of spots." 



A specimen in the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, 

 which has " the whole of the upper part of the fur irregularly 

 spotted with pure white," has been noticed by Bell,* who 

 remarks : — " It is by no means rare to see an Otter having a feio 

 white spots, though they are rarely as much marked as the one 

 above mentioned." He adds : — " It appears to be a variety 

 analogous to that which often occurs in birds having a few white 

 feathers, which at the moulting period are often lost, and replaced 

 by others of ordinary colour. This variety should not be con- 

 founded with albinism, which is retained for life." 



We have heard of a black Otter, but have never seen one. 

 A correspondent of the 'Fishing Gazette' reported (Oct. 3rd, 

 1H91) that a line specimen of the black Otter had been caught at 

 Burnhervie, Aberdeenshire. It is possible that the reporter may 

 have been deceived by the appearance of the animal when just 

 taken out of the water, for the fur of a dead Otter when wet and 

 lying close to the body looks much blacker than when the living 

 animal has shaken off the moisture from its coat. And here we 

 may remark how easy it is to be deceived by the appearance of 

 an Otter which has been stuffed for many years. From long 

 exposure to the light the fur becomes gradually paler, and in 

 extreme cases almost bleached, so that we can well imagine such 

 specimens may give rise to reports of cream-coloured Otters, and 

 even of so-called white ones. 



Passing now from the subject of " Variation," we come to the 

 more vexed question of " Gestation," and upon this many pages 

 might be written. But it must suffice if we summarise the 

 observations of some of our friends who have paid special 

 attention to the subject, and note briefly the results at which they 

 have arrived. 



No one, probably, has paid more attention to the subject of 

 reproduction in the Otter than Mr. A. H. Cocks, of Marlow, who 

 got a pair to breed in confinement, and Mr. Southwell, of 

 Norwich, who, living in a county wherein these animals are more 

 than usually common, has enjoyed good opportunities in the 



* ■ British Quadrupeds,' 2nd ed., 1874, p. 178. 



