I perceive, however, that you have overlooked a peculiarity generally
attributed to the animal, which, if true, is, in my opinion, deserving
notice: viz.--the position of the female's teats, which are not placed
on the belly, as with most animals, but on the side, approaching to
the back, by which means it is enabled to suckle its young on both
sides at once, whilst swimming on the surface of the water; and it
presents, I have understood, a singular group to the observant
traveller.

I have sent the skin of a female Nutria herewith, for your inspection,
as regards the teats, &c. (from which the fur has been cut by
machinery,) with a small sample of the belly fur, prepared for the
covering of a hat; the wholesale price of the latter is now three
guineas per lb.: it is used as a substitute for beaver-wool on
second-rate hats. Our French correspondents term the skins
"Ratgondin."

BENJAMIN NORRIS, JUN.

_Windsor Place, Southwark Bridge Road._

*** We thank our intelligent correspondent for this communication, as
well as for the skin and fur. The skin is rather above the usual size:
its length is 26 inches, the tail being cut off; as is always done
before the skins are exported: the width of the skin is 15 inches; the
teats, nine in number, are in two rows, each row being about 2-1/2
inches from the centre of the back, and about 5 inches from the centre
of the belly; so that they are, as our correspondent observes, _on the
side_, approaching to the back nearer by half than to the belly. This
position of the teats appears to correspond with the animal's habit of