154 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELID.E. 



The Subgenus PUTORIUS. 

 For the characters of this group see antea, p. 99. The uoupareil note on 

 p. 74 is equally applicable to the synonymy of the following extralimital 

 species of the subgenus. 



1. Piitorlus foetidus.— Po^'crft or Fitch. 



Plate VIII. 



yiu>U'la putorlus, L. S. X. i. lOth ed. 1758, 46, no. .5 ; S. K ii. 1766, 67, no. l.—Schrfih. Saug. iii. 



177-, 4s5, pi. 131.— (Vm. S. N. i. 1788, 91.—B('ch.st. Natiirg. i. 419.— Pall. Zoog. R -A. i. 1811, 



87.— D.-sm. Mamm. i. 18-20, 177, no. 271.— Fr. Cur. Mamm. ii. 34.— Flcm. Br. An. 1828, 



U.—Jen. Br. Vert. 1S35,1L—BpII, Br. Quad. 1837, 156, tig.; 2d ed. 1874, ^O^.—Selys-L. Fn. 



Belg. 1842, 9.—Blain>\ Compt. Rend. xiv. 1842, 210 seq. pis. —.—Schinz, Syn. 1844, 339.— 



GiV6. Odont. 33: Saug. 1855, 779. 

 ViTerra putoriiis, shaw, Gen. Zoiil. i. 1800, 415. 

 FflBtorlus putorius, Keys, d Bins. Werb. Eur. i. 1840, 68, no. 143.— Bias. TVirb. Deutschl. 1857, 



222, f. 125. — OTirtfi/i, Ann. Sci. Xat. 5th ser. xix. 1874, 98 (anatomical). 

 Mustela fopMda, "Klein." 

 Putorius foetidus, Gray, List Mamm. Br. Mus. 1843, 64; P. Z. S. 1865, 109; Cat. Cam. Br. 



Mus. 1869, ei.-Gerr. Cat. Bones Br. Mus. 1862, 92. 

 Putorius Yerus, Br.— Brandt, Bem. Wirb. Xord. Eur. Russl. 26. 

 Putorius communis, " Guv. R. A."— (Gray.) 

 Putorius typus. "F. Cliiv.''—{Grau.) 

 Putorius vulgaris, Griff. Cuv. R. A. v, 1827, 120, no. 339 (no. p. 121, no. 344) .— .Fifz. Naturg. 



SJiug.i. 1861,328,f.68. 



Putois, Buff. Hist. Nat. vii. , 199, pi. 123. 



Polecat, Fitch, Fitchet, Fitchew, Foumart, Fulmart or YuMmart, English.— Penn. Brit. 



Zool. i. 89, pi. 6. 

 litis, German, cf. v. Martens, Zool. Gart. xi. 1870, 275 (philological). 

 Wicha, Madrai, Selys-L. I. c. 



Form stout ; ears short aud rounded ; tail rather bushy, cylindric-tapering, 

 about one-third the head and body ; fur very long and loose on most parts 

 of the body (the well-known "fitch" of commerce), yellowish-brown, over- 

 laid with glossy blackish-brown, the tail, legs, and chest mostly blackish ; 

 head dark, the ears, a space in front of them, lips and chin, usually white. 

 Varies interminably in proportion of the yellowish and blackish Length 

 about 16 inches; tail 5^ ; head Sf; ears ^. The name Polecat is probably 

 a contraction of Polish cat. Foumart, &c., are merely Foul Mart, in distinc- 

 tion from the Mustelas, or " Sweet " Marts, the odor in this species being much 

 more di.sgusting. The animal inhabits Europe. 



1«. Tar. fnro.— The Ferret. 

 Mustela furo, L. S. N. i. 1766, 68, no. e.—Schreb. Siiug. iii. 1778, — , pi. 133.— G^. S. K i. 1788, 



97.— Di'SOT. Mamm. i. 1820, 178, no. 213.— Jen. Br. Vert. 1835, 12.— Fisch. Syn. 1829, 219.— 



Bdl. Br. Quad. 1837, 161, &g.—Schinz, Syn. 1844, 340.— jP;-. Cue. Mamm. ii. 22.— Gieb. 



Odont. 33, pi. 12, f. 8 ; Saug. 1855, 780. 

 Viverra furo, Shaio, Gen. Zool. i. 1800, 418. 



Fcetorius furo, Chatin, Ann. Sci. Xat 5th ser. xix. 1874, 98 (anatomical). 

 Mustela putorius var., Flem. Br. An. 1828, 14. 



Putorius vulgaris var. furo. Griff. Cuv. R. A. v. 1827, 120, no. 339 a. 

 Putorius fcjetidus vars. furo, SUbfuro, Gray, P. Z. S. 1865, 110; Cat. Carn. Br. Mus. 1869, 87. 



Ferret, English.— Penn. Brit. Zool. i. , 91. 



Furet, Furet Putoire, French.— Buff. Hist Xat vii. , 209, pi. 26. 



Frett, Frettel, Frettchen, German.— Bias. Wirb. Deutschl. 1857, 225. 



This is the well-known tame Ferret, now only recognized in a state of do- 

 mestication. It is smaller aud slenderer than the Fitch, yellowish-white or 

 white, with pinkeyes. This is an excellent example of a *' variety", prop- 

 erly so called, in distinction from a geographical race. The root of all the 



