DESCRIPTION OF TAXIDEA AMERICANA. 267 



sometimes so deeply as to be merely a thin shell of horn, the 

 edges of which only nnite at the base of the claw. 



The sliort, broad, flattened tail has no sharp distinction from 

 the body at its base, bat the body tapers toward it somewhat 

 as in the Porcupine. It is densely covered, in a somewhat dis- 

 tichous manner, with long coarse hair like that of the body ; 

 the end is obtusely rounded. 



The perinseal region shows, immediately beneath the root of 

 the tail, a large transverse fissure leading into the peculiar sub- 

 caudal i)ouch of the Melince, and, in advance of this, a large 

 hemispherical protuberance, mere or less naked, or covered 

 with a few sparse hairs, and imperfectly divided by a median 

 raphe into lateral oval masses. (The anatomy of the peculiar 

 organs of these parts, as illustrated in the European Meles 

 taxus, is given beyond.) 



The Badger varies greatly in color, as a fortuitous matter of 

 age, season, or condition of pelage, aside from certain geo- 

 graphical differences, to be shown in the sequel. The varia- 

 tion, however, is mainly in the relative amounts of the black- 

 ish tawny-gray and white which produce the general grizzle, 

 the pattern of coloration being well preserv^ed, especially as to 

 the markings of the head. The top of the head is dark brown 

 or blackish, generally increasing in intensity and purity from 

 the nape to the snout, since it is commonly more or less 

 blended with gray or hoary encroaching from behind. This 

 dark area is divided lengthwise by a sharp white or whitish 

 median stripe, which runs from the snout, or from just back of 

 the snout to the nape, where it is gradually lost in the grizzle 

 of that part. I have never known this stripe to be entirely 

 wanting ; but it varies much in extent, both laterally and 

 longitudinally. The sides of the extreme muzzle are dark, 

 like the top of the head ; from about opposite the canines, the 

 sides of the head and the ears are white, continuous with the 

 white of the chin and throat, but interrupted by a large (gen- 

 erally crescentic) dusky patch in front of the ear. Another 

 dark patch usually shows, though less conspicuously behind 

 the ear. The whole body and tail above are an intimately* 

 blended mixture of blackish with white, hoary gray, and 

 tawny, or pale dull fulvous (dilute helvolus). The individual 

 hairs are for the greati^r part of their length of one of the 

 lighter colors above mentioned, then black or blackish for a 

 distance, and finally tipped with hoary gray or whitish. This 



