ASIATIC SABLE, MUSTELA ZIBELLINA. 79^ 



3. The Assatie J?^al)Ie. 



Mnstela zibellina. 



Mu^tela SObella, Oesn. Quad. 1551, S69.—Rzacz. Auct. Polon. 173G, 317. 



Mustela ZObela, Forer. Allg. Thierb. Gesner, 1669, 347. 



Mustela zibellina, Aldrov. Quad. Digit. 1645, 335.— Charlet. Exercit. 1677, 20.— Say, Syn. 



Quad. 1693. 201.— Linn. S. N. 2d ed. 1740, 44 ; 6th ed. 1748, 5, no. 1.— Klein, Quad. 1751, 



G-l.—Jonst. Theatr. Quad. 1755, 156.— Linn. S. N. 10th ed. 1758, 46, no. 8 ; 12th ed. 



1766, 68, no. 9.— J. G. Om. N. Q. Petrop. v. 338, pi. 6.—Erxl. Syst. An. 1777, 467, no. 



d.—Schreb. Saug. iil, 1778, 478, pi. 136.— Zimm. Geogr. Gesch. ii. 1780, 302, no. 196.— 



Pall. Spic. Zool. xiv. 1780, 54, pi. 3, f. 2; Zocig. E. A. i. 180, 83, pi. 6.—Turt. S. N. 1. 



1806, 59.— Qm. S. X. i. 1788, 96, no. 9.— Mull. Knss. Gesch. ill. 495.— Desm. Mamm. i. 



1820, 182, no. 282; Xouv. Diet. xix. 382; Ency. M6th. pi. 82.— J'r. Cuv. Diet. Sci. Nat. 



xxix. 1823, 255.— Js. Geoff. Diet. Class, x. 2\0.—Griff. An. Kingd. v. 1827, 124, no. 351.— 



Less. Man. 1827, 148.— PiseA. Syn. 1829, 216.— Blaind. Compt. Ptend. xiv. 1842, 210 seq. 



pls.—^cftinz, Syn. Mara. i. 1844, 336.—Gieh. Saug. 1855, 116.— Brandt, Bemerk. Wirb. 



]Sr. E. Russl. 21.— Midd. Sibir. Saug. 68, pi. 2.—Schrenck, Reise Amurl. , 27. 



Mustela martes zibellina, Briss. Quad. 1756, 248, no. 9. 



Viverra zibellina, Shaiv, Gen. Zool. i. 1800, 411. 



Martes zibellina. Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 105 {"Mustela" lapsu) ; Cat. Cam. Br. Mus. 1869, 83. 



Martes zibellina var. asiatiea, Brandt, Beit. Kennt. Siiug. Kussl. 1855, 6, pll. i, ii, and pi. 



iii, f. 7, 8, 9 (many " snbvarieties " named). 

 Zobela, Agric, Anim. Subt«r. 1614, 39. 

 Sebelliua, Scheff, Lappon. 1673, 343. 

 Zobel, Strahlenb. Eur. u. Asia, 1730, 430.-7. G. Gm. Reise, i. 1751, 391. -Hall. Naturg. Vierf. 



Thiere, 1757, 459.— Mull. Xaturs. 1773, 212.—Stell. Kamtscht. 1774, 119.— Martens, Zool. 



Gart. xi, 1S70, 254 (philological). 

 Sabeldier, Houtt. Nat. Hist Dieren, ii. 1761, 204.— Didck. 

 Zibeline, Buff. Hist. Nat. xiii. 1765, 309.— Bomare, Diet. iv. 1768, 650.— French. 

 Cebellina, Cevellina, ^;pa?iisft.— Zibellino, Italian.— Sahhel, Sivedish.-^ohol, Polish, Rus- 

 sian. 

 Sable, Pe7in. Syn. Quad. 1771, 217, no. 156; Hist. Quad. 328, no. 201; Arct. Zool. i. 1784, 79, no. 



30. (Saphilinas Pelles, sable skins, is found in Jornandes; Zombolines occurs in 



Marco Folo.— Webster.) 



Lack of specimens of this form unfortunately prevents me from bringing 

 it into the discussion upon any original investigations ; the views of authors 

 are discussed beyond. I have, however, carefully examined both skins 

 and skulls of M. martes, foina, and americana. Such is the variability 

 of the pelage, that probably no decisive indications can be gathered from 

 comparisons of the skins, however widely these may differ in extreme cases. 

 The skulls and teeth afford the readiest means of separating these three 

 closely-allied forms. 



The following measurements of three skulls, selected as fairly expressing 

 averages of M. martes, foina, and americana respectively, will show in 

 what the cranial differences consist. The skull of M. foina differs more 

 from those of both M. martes and M. americana than these latter do from 

 each other ; but these latter are readily distinguished by their dentaL 

 characters. 



