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Show 1870.] MR. R. SWINHOE ON CHINESE MAMMALS. 625 meter *5 ; breadth of muzzle 2*2. Length of fore leg from shoulder to tip of claws 7*75 ; of hind leg from hip to tip of claws 9*5. Girth of neck 10*25, of body 13. Throat, under neck, and round upper jaw white, with light buff under-fur. Sides of head and neck between fore legs and on their underside whitish with brownish under-fur. Breast and belly brownish white, with deep buff-brown under-fur. Upper parts, tail, between hind legs, and anal region deep glossy brown. Fore feet with light yellowish buffon the three central toes ; nails flesh-colour. Nose black ; irides dark; lips flesh-red, washed with black ; teeth white. Feet beneath brownish flesh-colour, with blackish-brown pads. In the Ichang Gorge, 1110 miles up the river Yangtsze, we came across a fisherman with a trained Otter. It was very tame and gentle, but he kept it chained in his boat. To make use of its services he would throw his large loose net, weighted at the edges, and let the Otter into the water fastened by a long string: the Otter would swim and dive round the outer edge of the net, driving the fish under the net, which gradually contracted its edges until it was drawn up. The fisherman would then call the Otter, giving hiin a jerk or two, and it quietly returned to its corner in the boat. The Otter appears also to be used in India for a similar purpose (Jerdon, M a m m . of India, p. 87). 35. LUTRA SWINHOEI. (Swinhoe's Otter.) Lutra swinhoei, Gray, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 182. Dr. J. E. Gray has founded this species on the skull taken out of the skin of a young Otter from Amoy (not Formosa as stated), which I sent home, in company with a larger one from the same place. Dr. Gray observes (I. c) that the skull in question " has a very large square tubercular grinder, and a very large rounded internal lobe to the flesh-tooth, as in the second section," which he has called Lutro-gale. He adds that the species " is easily characterized by the small size of the upper cutting-teeth, the series forming only a width of 4\ lines; while the series of most other Indian Otters occupy 6 lines (or half an inch), or sometimes rather more." The specimen that was sent to Dr. Gray I had alive at Amoy on the 27th August, 1859. It had been captured at Gawkang, an island close to Amoy. I judged it to be about four months old. It was very gentle, and followed m e about like a dog ; it delighted in rolling about the floor scratching and biting itself, or would sleep rolled up on the doormat. When left alone it would utter loud cries like that of a young chicken in distress, and when hungry a long series of sharp jarring notes. It measured 21 inches, less tail 8 ; length of head 4, breadth of head 2*5, across lips 1*7, height of head 2 ; breadth of eye *4, of nose *6. Fore leg 3*5, across expanded foot 1*3 ; hind leg 3, across hind foot 2. Upper parts rich dark brown; under parts yellowish brown, nearly white on the tips, cheeks, throat, and fore neck. Ears small, and nearly concealed. Feet well palmated, with bare pinkish-brown soles and short white nails. Lower bristles over the lips white, the upper brown. |