CANADA OTTER. 
11 
tinent of North America, and possibly a portion of South America. It 
has, however, been nearly extirpated in our Atlantic States east of 
Maryland, and is no longer found abundantly in many parts of the 
country in which it formerly was numerously distributed. 
It is now procured most readily, in the western portions of the Uni- 
ted States and on the Eastern shore of Maryland. It is still abundant 
on the rivers and the reserve-dams of the rice fields of Carolina, and 
is not rare in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. 
A considerable number are also annually obtained in the British pro- 
vinces. We did not capture any Otters during our journey up the 
Missouri to the Yellow Stone River, but observed traces of them in the 
small water courses in that direction. 
GENERAL REMARKS. 
Much perplexity exists in regard to the number of species of American 
Otters, and consequently in determining their nomenclature. Ray, in 
1693, described a specimen from Brazil under the name of Braziliensis. 
It was subsequently noticed by Brtsson, Blumenbacii, D’azara, Marcgrave, 
SciiREBER, Shaw, and others. We have not had an opportunity of com- 
paring our North American species with any specimen obtained from 
Brazil. The loose and unscientific descriptions we have met with of the 
Brazilian Otter, do not agree in several particulars with any variety of 
the species found in North America ; there is, however, a general resem- 
blance in size and colour. Should it hereafter be ascertained by closer 
investigations that the species existing in these widely removed localities 
are mere varieties, then the previous name of Braziliensis (Ray) must be 
substituted for that of L. Canadensis, Fr. Cuvier. 
In addition to the yet undecided species of Ray, Fr. Cuvier has sepa- 
rated the Canada from the Carolina species, bestowing on the former the 
name of L. Canadensis, and on the latter that of L. Lataxina. Gray has 
published a specimen from the more northern portions of North America 
under the name Lataxina Mollis ; and a specimen which we obtained in 
Carolina, and presented to our friend Mr. Waterhouse of London, was, we 
believe, published by him under another name. 
Notwithstanding these high authorities, we confess we have not been 
able to regard them in any other light than varieties, some more strongly 
marked than others, of the same species. The L. Lataxina of Fr. Cuvier, 
and the specimen published by Waterhouse, do not present such distinctive 
characters as to justify us in separating the species from each other or from 
L. Canadensis. The specimen published by Richardson under the name 
