

.580 Mr. Sabine's Account 



tion of the different specimens, and communicate the same to the 

 Linnean Society. After the descriptions and account should 

 be completed, the specimens were directed to be placed in the 

 British Museum. 



Quadrupeds and Birds form the chief part of the collection. 

 Of the former, there are specimens of twelve different animals, 

 most of them in a very perfect state, and affording excellent 

 illustrations of that department of the zoology of the arctic coun- 

 tries of the New Continent. Of the Birds, there are specimens 

 of above forty species, well preserved ; nearly every one of them 

 will supply some novel information to the ornithologist ; a few- 

 are particularly interesting, from being hitherto unknown, or 

 very imperfectly described. 



The examination of the three undescribed Marmots led me 

 into an investigation of the other species of the genus, hitherto 

 known as natives of North America ; and as I found that the 

 published descriptions of them were in some instances obscure, 

 and in others incorrect, I was induced to draw up this communi- 

 cation, conceiving that a more accurate account of the whole, as 

 far as the means I possessed enabled me to prepare it, might not 

 only be generally useful, but serve also to illustrate my descrip- 

 tions of the new species. 



The Marmots were placed by Linnaeus in his genus Mus; they 

 were separated by Schreber, who took the specific name Arcto- 

 mys, given by Pallas to the Bobac Marmot, as that of his new 

 genus; which being adopted by Gmelin in his edition of the 

 Systema iSatura, has continued to be used by succeeding natu- 

 ralists. The whole generic character is given by Illiger*; but 

 to prevent the necessity of repetition in my descriptions, I will 

 here enumerate the principal points in which all the species 



agree. 



llliger Prod. Si/st. Mam. el Av. xxxvii. p. 84. 



The 



