THE MAMMALS OF AM 00 It LAND. 15 



lections made by two other travellers, Herr Maximowicz,* a botanical 

 collector in the employ of the Imperial Botanical Gardens of St. Peters- 

 burg, who was also -travelling in that country, from 1854 to 1856 ; and 

 Herr Maack, who made an expedition from Transbaikalia, in 1855, to 

 the mouth of the A moor, and back. 



We shall now proceed to consider the species of Mammals thus as- 

 certained to be inhabitants of Amoorland, in the order in which Herr 

 von Schrenck has arranged them in the first volume of his work, adding 

 a notice of the most important facts which he has recorded concerning 

 each of them. In some cases, it will be observed, the names have been 

 inserted on the faith of Pallas and older explorers, and the results ar- 

 rived at are purely of a negative character. 



1. Ursus arctos. — The bear of the Amoorland is referable to the varietas 

 Beringianaoi Middendorf, which occurs on the coasts of the Sea of Ochotsk, 

 but is not specifically separable from the European Ursus arctos. Tem- 

 minck's statement that the bear of Jesso and Sachalin is U ferox (the 

 Grizzly Bear of North America) is erroneous. 



2. Ursus maritimus. — The Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, was not re- 

 cognized by the natives as found on the coast of the continent, or of the 

 island of Sachalin, though Siebold has stated that he received indica- 

 tions of its occasional occurrence on the shores of the Japanese province 

 Jetsigo. 



3. Meles taxus A darker and more yellowish variety (amurensis) 



of the Badger of Amoorland, was found to be connected, on an examina- 

 tion of a series of eight examples, with the European Meles taxus. Yon 

 Schrenck thinks that the Japanese Meles anakuma of Temminck is pro- 

 bably nothing more than a further variety of the same species. 



4. Gulo borealis presents the same variation of coloration as in Eu- 

 rope. 



5. Mustela zibellina. — The Sable is much sought after here, as else- 

 where, for its fur, but is still met with in all parts of Amoorland. Von 

 Schrenck suspects that Temminck' s M. braclujura is only a variety of 

 this very valuable animal, founded upon an imperfect skin. 



6. Mustela martes. — Pallas' statement (" SpicilegiaZoologica," xiv., 

 p. 57) of the occurrence of this Marten in Amoorland was not con- 

 firmed. 



7. Mustela sibirrica, P.allas. — Spread over the whole country. 



8. Mustela erminea. — Also common over the whole of Amoorland. 



9. Mustela vulgaris. — Only one example obtained, and certainly 

 much rarer than the ermine. 



10. Lutra vulgaris. — The otter is found throughout the country, but 

 nowhere common, being much sought after by the natives for its fur, 

 which is highly prized by the Mandshurians and Chinese. Lutra chi- 

 nensis, Gray, L. indica, Gray, and Lutra nair, F. Cuvier, are suspected 

 to be only varieties of the same species. 



* The results of this gentleman's expedition are published in the Memoirs of the 

 [mperial Academy, under the title " Primitise Florae Amurensis," vol. ix., p. 1, et seq. 



