No. V.] ZOOLOGY. 



653 



of the settlers in search of mice, which constitute its principal food. The skins, 

 though elsewhere an article of commerce, do not appear to have been imported in the 

 last year by the Hudson's Bay Company. 



Mephitis Americana. Skunk. 



These animals corresponding in general character and appearance, but with great 

 diversity of the arrangement of their white and black markings, are found in all parts 

 of the New World. Several of these, heretofore separated, have recently been con- 

 sidered by M. Cuvier as referable to one species, and the whole have been removed by 

 him from Viverra, where they have hitherto been arranged, and made a distant genus. 

 The animals, now under examination, are the particular sort designated as the Viverra 

 Mephitis of Gmelin, the Skunk of Pennant and Hearne, and Le Chiche of Buffon. 

 They are well known on account of the intolerably disagreeable odour which they emit 

 when irritated, whence they obtained, amongst the French settlers in North America, 

 the name of Bete puante and Enfant de diable. Two specimens were received from the 

 Expedition, they were only seen in the first period of the journey, for though the 

 animal is frequent in the places which it inhabits, it was not found north of the 

 Slave Lake. The specimens differ slightly, one having rather broader stripes of white 

 than the other, the variations in this particular have heretofore been considered to 



constitute distinct species. 



Lutra Canadensis. American Otter. 



The Otter of America has hitherto been identified with that of Europe, from which 

 it was considered to differ in size only ; but independent of that circumstance, there 

 appear to be other points which will support its separation from the European Otter, 

 and the specimen supplied by Captain Franklin being quite perfect, a complete com- 

 parison of the two animals can be now instituted. The chin and throat are dusky 

 white and all the rest of the body is a glossy brown, finer and thicker than that of the 

 European Otter. The neck is elongated, not short, and the head narrow and long, in 

 comparison with the short broad visage of the other animal ; the ears are consequently 

 much closer together. The tail is more pointed and shorter, being considerably less 

 than one half of the length of the body, whilst the tail of the European Otter is more 



length 



These differences are probably decisive as to their 



specific difference. The whole animal is five feet long, of which the tail is eighteen 

 inches. A fine specimen of the European Otter measures forty inches including its tail, 

 which is fourteen. The American Otter is an inhabitant of the waters of the whole 



M 



northern parts of America, and is found as far north as the Copper 



The skins are articles of considerable commerce, the imports of last year from 



Hudson's Bay having amounted to 7300. M. Cuvier unites the Lutra Brasiliensis of 



