415 



Sub-Genus LUTREOLA Warner. 



1841. Lntrcola Wagner, Schreber's Stiugthiere, SuppL, ii, p. 239 (lutreola). 

 1843. Vison Gray, List. Spec. Mainni. Brit. Mus., p. 64 {vison). 

 1857. Fcetorius Blasius, Siiugetbiere Deutschlands, p. 219 (part). 

 1871. Hydromuslcla Bogdanow, T|)\4. 06m. Ectcctb. Ka.siiHCK. yiiiiBcpc I, 

 Mem. I, p. 167. 



Tijj)e species. — Mustela lutreola Linnaeus. 



Geographical distribution. — Northern portion of northern 

 hemisphere from eastern Germany to the Atlantic coast of Nortli 

 America. 



Characters. — Form moderately slender ; tail bushy ; fur modi- 

 fied for aquatic life ; skidl without noticeably projecting mastoid 

 processes ; auditory bulh« sub-triangular ; premolars more prehen- 

 sive than in Ptitoriiis ; inner lobe of upper carnassial functioning 

 against apex of pHt^ ; anterior border of pm^ shearing against pos- 

 terior border oipm., ; point of p?w- opposed to posterior border of j^m.^. 



Remarks. — Though well characterized in its extreme develop- 

 ment, as represented by the type species and the American forms, 

 the sub-genus Lutreola grades insensibly into true Mustela through 

 such Asiatic members of the genus as Mustela sihiriea, M. cani- 

 gula and others. So complete is this intergradation that it may 

 well be questioned whether the name Lutreola should be allowed 

 to remain in use. The only typical Old World species ranges 

 westward into south-western France. 



MUSTELA LUTREOLA Linnseus. 



1766. [_Mustela] lutreola Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. i, 12th ed., p. 66 (Finland). 

 1777. \Lutra'] minor Erxleben, Syst. Regni Anim., i, p. 451 (Renaming of 



lutreola). 

 1792. M\^^stela'\ Lutra fulva Kerr, Anim. Kingd., p. 173 (Renaming of 



lutreola). 

 1889. ? [Mustela lutreola'] var. alba De Selys-Longcbamps, Etudes de 



Micromamm., p. 46 {nomen mulum). 

 1857. Foetorius lutreola Blasius, Siiugetbiere Deutschlands, p. 234. 

 1863. ? Putorius alpinus Og6rien, Hist. Nat. du Jura, iii, p. 59 (highest 



portions of the Jura). 

 1879. Lutreola europn'a Homeyer, Zool. Garten, xxvi, p. 184, June, 1879 



(Substitute for lutreola). 

 1910. Putorius (Lutreola) lutreola Trouessart, Faune Mamm. d'Europe, 



p. 75. 



Tyjje locality. — Finland. 



Geographical distribution. — Northern Asia, westward to Fin- 

 land and south-western France, southward to eastern Roumania ; 

 limits of range not known. European distribution less extensive 

 than formerly. 



Diagnosls.--Geneva\ characters as in the sub-genus Lutreola ; 

 colour throughout a rich dark brown, the region about the mouth 

 whitish, the tip of tail blackish ; head and body about 350 to 



