28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 75 



frequent spots where trees exist and climbs freely, as its native name 

 would signify. 



Genus tlUTRA Brisson 



LUTRA LUTRA (Linnaeus) 



(Muytelu) Intra Linnaexts, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, etl. 10. 1758. p. 45 (Upsala, 

 Swedeu ) . 



Specimens. — T.wo : a broken skull only from Sianf u, Sliensi. and 

 the skin only of a juvenile from Fusan, Korea. 



Specimens of Chinese otters are still too scarce to be able to deter- 

 mine the status of the names cMnensis and Jianensis. 



Genus HELICTIS Gray 



HELICTIS MOSCHATA Gray 



Helictls moschaia Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1831, p. M (Cliina). 



Specimsns. — Two: Shanghai, Kiangsu, 1, and Yochow, Hunan, 1. 



The Shanghai example is without skull. The second skin is some- 

 what similar save that the underparts are pale ochraceous, this dark- 

 ening in the inguinal region. The skull shows a much greater 

 zygomatic spread than any other available but it is considerably the 

 oldest, and just this variation with age is at times encountered in 

 the case of certain other carnivores (as Maries). For the reason, 

 then, that sufficient is not known regarding the normal variation 

 within this genus the Hunan animal is not named as new, although 

 it is thought probable that this course will prove the desirable one 

 eventually. 



HELICTIS MOSCHATA FERREO-GRISEUS Hilzheimei 



Uelictis ferreo-grisetiB Hilzheimer. Zool. Anz., vol. 29, 1905. p. 298 (bought 

 in Hankow (Hupeh) ; locality unknown). 



Specimens. — Four from Szechwan; Kiating, 1; and Suifu. 3. 



These four skins, accompanied by but two skulls, conform well to 

 the description of this race, which is probably but subspecifically dis- 

 tinct from moschaia. It may be noted, hov/ever, that the infraorbital 

 foramina of the Kiating skull are larger, and of the single Suifu 

 slmll, quite small. 



Genus MELES Brisson 



MELES LEPTORHYNCHUS Milne-Edwards 



MeZes lepioi-Jii/nchus Milke-Edwards. Ann. Soc. Hist. Nat. I'aris, vol. 8, 1867, 

 p. 374 (Peking, Chihli, China). 



Specimens. — Five: Tientsin and Tabul, Chihli, 1 each; Tao River, 

 Kansu, 1; Taiyuanfu, Shansi, 1; and Yochow, Hunan. 1. 



These are quite uniform excepting the juvenile from Hunan, which 

 ha.s the white nose-stripe extending only half way between the nose 



