1 ."^0 MEIJNID.E. 



American Badger, Penn. Si/n.n. 204. 



? Brairo (French Canadians), Leivis ^ Clarke, Trav. ii. p. 40. 



Siffleur, French Canadians. 



Flacjotlj Hei-nandez. 



Var. Berlandieri. Smaller ; reddish above, with a narrow white 

 dorsal streak. 



Taxidea Berlandieri, Baird, Mamtn. N. A. p. 205, t. 39. f. 1 (Mexico). 



Var. californica, pale line continued from nape to base of tail 

 (Bennett, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 42). (Skull, B.M.) 



JJab. California (David Douglas) ; Texas (skull, B.M.). 



in. lin. 



Length of skull 4 10 



of nose 1 3g 



of palate 2 6 



of orbit and zygoma 2 5 



"Width of skull over ears 2 6 



of nose at orbits 1 3 



of skull behind 3 



Length of lower jaw 1 5 



4. MYDAUS. 

 Head conical. Nose attenuated. Muzzle rather produced, mo- 

 bile, obliquely truncated ; beneath rather bald, with a distinct cen- 

 tral longitudinal bald groove. Nostrils inferior, lateral. Body 

 short ; limbs short. Feet plantigrade, soles broad, bald to the heel. 

 Toes 5.5; front claws elongate, strong, unequal ; hinder strong, 

 rather acute.. Tail short ; anal glands distinct. SkuU elongate ; 

 orbit not contracted behind. Teeth 34 ; grinders f . | ; false grin- 

 ders f , f , one-rooted (Blainv. Osteogr. Suhursus, t. 1). 



Mydaus, F, Cuv. ; Gray, Cat. Mamm. B. M. xxi. p. 60 ; P. Z. S. 



1865, p. 143. 

 Mephitis, sp., Desm. 

 Mydaon, Gloger, 1842. 



SkuU elongate, slender in fi-ont ; nose elongate, tapering, shelving 

 on the sides ; orbit very incomplete, small ; suborbital foramen mo- 

 derate, ovate, zygomatic arch flattened, slender; brain-case ovate, 

 ventricoso, truncated behind ; palate slightly concave, esj^eciaUy in 

 the middle behind ; hinder opening to the nostrils ovate, in a line 

 with the middle of the zygomatic arch ; bulla of the ears low, 

 slightly convex. The cutting-teeth broad, in an arched line, trun- 

 cated, the outer ones rather the largest, with a slight notch in the 

 hinder edge ; canine compressed, far from the cutting-tooth ; false 

 grinders two, the first small, second compressed ; the flesh-tooth 

 roundish, trigonal, outer edge with a compressed marginal tubercle, 

 inner lobe broad, rounded, with two conical tubercles, the hinder 

 small, and \inited to the ridge on the outer margin ; the tiibercular 

 grinder oblong subrhombic, rather longer than wide, the front and 



