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otter, wliich has not been removed when some sejircher after the 
truth has addressed a (|uery to one of the Natuial History publi- 
cations of the day ; the answers, when tlie question was replied to 
at all, have been sufficiently contradictory, but not by any means 
satisfactory. I will first give a few extracts from different 
authorities, and then the result of my own observations. 
In Lund and TVatev for the year 18G7, there was a discussion 
as to the time when the otter breeds. V. A. B. writes, that he 
has never been able to get a really satisfactory answer to this 
question, but his “ own experience leads him to think they breed 
in the middle of winter, that is, in the months of Xovember and 
December; but ‘an otter hunter, of forty years’ standing,’ has 
come to the conclusion that they are irregular breeders, ‘ after the 
manner of dogs,’ as ho has found their very young cubs in almost 
every month in the year.” “ Gernianicus” has observed the otter 
in Germany, and says there “ their pairing time is in January and 
February, when they may be heard calling to one another by 
means of a loud species of whistling cry ; they breed nine weeks 
after pairing, when they lay up from two to four cubs.” C. II., 
quoting Buffon, says, that in Franco the otter couples in the winter, 
and brings forth in the beginning of spring ; but that Goldsmith 
says, it is certainly difl’erent w'ith us, for its young are never found 
tUI the latter end of summer. He also says, that Goldsmith quotes 
Mr. Lots, of the Academy of Stockholm, that it couples about the 
middle of summer, and brings forth at the end of nine weeks, 
generally three or four young at a time. ]\Ir. Lloyd, in his Game 
Birdfi and Wild Fowl of Sweden and Norway, says, that “in the 
southern parts of Scandinavia, the otter pairs in Februarv, but in 
the northern, in March ; the period of gestation,” he says, “ is 
nine Meeks, and the cubs which folloM' the mother during the 
summer are tw'o to four in number.” Pennant says, “ the otter 
brings forth four or live at a time,” but does not mention the 
month. In Daniels’ Rural Sports, it is said to “ bring forth four 
or live yoiuig at a time, about the month of June.” Jenyns says, 
“ breeds in March . . . and produces four or live at a birth and 
lastly, Bell gives March or April as the time, and three to five as 
the number of young ones. The result of my experience, which 
has been confined almost exclusively to Xorfolk, is, that the otter 
produces her young ones from December to February, is not double 
