Nova Acta Academics Nahirce Curiosonim. 253 



Gmelin, Geoflfroy, Oken, and Desmarest. From some additional remarks 

 in the Appendix to the volume, we learn that Professor Gravenhorst has 

 since had the good fortune to meet with two specimens, both more or less 

 injured, but sufficiently entire to exhibit all the characteristics of the 

 species, in the Duchy of Mecklenburgh; it may therefore fairly be con- 

 cluded that this interesting little creature, which has now been found at 

 such distant parts of the old continent as the banks of the Yenisei and 

 those of the hlbe, is far from being in reality so uncommon as its very 

 rare occurrence would otherwise lead us to suppose. The authour's re- 

 searches also induce him strongly to suspect that there is no real differ- 

 ence between the species lately described by Professor Savi, under the 

 name of iS. Etruscus^ and the S. leacodon of the German writers, with 

 which he connects, besides, the S. Guldenstcedlii of Pallas. 



With regard to the other animal, now for the first time discovered to 

 be a native of Silesia, the Lutra Lutreola of lUiger, and L. minor of 

 Erxleben, restored by Cuvier to its old Linnsean station in the genus ilfks- 

 tela, between which and the true Otters it appears to form a connecting 

 link, M. Gloger also furnishes some valuable notes. From the review 

 of its characters and history it appears extremely probable that there ex- 

 ists no true ground of specific distinction between this animal and the 

 Mustela Vison^ Litm., the distant localities of the two, the north of Europe 

 and the north of America, being fully sufficient to account for the trifling 

 difference on which their separation has hitherto been founded. The 

 authour concludes his paper by expressing his astonishment that M. Cu- 

 vier should still continue to class the Lutra marina of' Steller along with 

 the Otters, when the most superficial examination of the animal proves 

 that it approaches much more closely to the genus Phoca, Linn. He refers 

 to its establishment as a genus, by Oken, under the name of Pusa, for 

 which he proposes, but apparently without sufficient reason, to substitute 

 the more ancient designation of Latax, 

 ^^^ an earlier memoir, ** Iconem Ursi longirostris illustravit Dr. Reiehen- 

 ^* bach," chiefly with the view of giving a more accurate figure of that 

 singularly mistaken animal than had hitherto been published, as he freely 

 admits that he has little to add to the excellent description of it by Tiede- 

 mann. Even as regards the figure, however, we cannot consider the 

 present engraving as sufficiently characteristic of the general habit of this 



