46 QUADRUPEDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



Dimensions. 



in. t'tlig. 



Length of the head and body, . . . .110 



" of the tail bone, . . . . 5 4 



" of the tail, including the terminal tuft, . . 6 6 



" from the nose to the posterior base of the ear, 1 9 



Observations. This little animal is one of the most lively and 

 active of any which are known to us. It is common to the Mid- 

 dle and Northern States. It is bold and courageous, and is ready 

 to attack animals larger than itself. It often domesticates itself 

 in cellars and barns, which it speedily clears of rats and mice. 

 It is, however, somewhat prone to mischief, and is not very con- 

 scientious in the division of eggs, and of the young poultry ; yet 

 it is productive of much good by ridding us of foes whose evils 

 are much greater than the loss of a few eggs, and occasionally a 

 chicken. Formerly the skins were in great demand, especially 

 those taken in higher latitudes, as their fineness and beauty are 

 superior to those of southern or warmer regions. At present 

 they are not considered of so much value as formerly, and they 

 can scarcely be considered as articles of traffic. It is reported 

 that the female produces ten or eleven young at a birth ; but I have 

 not had an opportunity of seeing their retreats while breeding, 

 and therefore cannot vouch for its accuracy. The latter remarks 

 apply rather to the true ermine ; it is considered as differing spe- 

 cifically from this, though so strongly resembling it, that, without 

 careful attention, it is very likely to be mistaken for it. 



Genus Lutra. Storr. 



Generic characters. Dental system ; incisors |- ; canines \=\ ; 

 molars f=| ; = 36. Body elongated and cylindrical ; legs short 

 and strong ; toes five on the anterior feet, and four on the pos- 

 terior, and the rudiment of a fifth ; webbed ; tail depressed, and 

 wide at its insertion. 



1. Lutra Canadensis. Sabine. The Otter. 



Lutra Canadensis, Richardson, Fauna Bor. Am., p. 57. 

 Mustela Hudsonica, Lacepcde. 

 Lutra Brasilicnsis, Harlan, Fauna Am., p. 72. 

 The American Otter, Godman, Nat. Hist., i. p. 222. 

 Figure ; Ibid., p. 228, f. 2. 



