ON NORTH AMERICAN ZOOLOGY. 143 



tained by the fur-dealers up to latitude 60°, but more correct 

 observations as to the identity of the species are I'equired before 

 so extensive a range can be ascribed with certainty to this ani- 

 mal. Mr. Collie, vi^hen vpith Captain Beechey, saw a small 

 ursine animal very abundant on the coast of California, which 

 is probably the jn-oci/on caiicrivorus or an allied species. 



The meles labradoria, which is perfectly distinct from the 

 European badger, has its northern limit about the 55th parallel, 

 where it inhabits the pi'airies only. The meles hudsonius, men- 

 tioned by Cuvier in the It^gne Animal as differing very little 

 from the meles vidgaris of Europe, is entirely unknown to us. 

 The Mexican species, supposed to be indicated by Hernandez, 

 is very doubtful. Tlie wolverene {gulo luscus) does not vaiy, 

 according to Cuvier, from the European glutton by permanent 

 characters 5 next to the polar bear and arctic fox it is the 

 most northern carnivoi'ous quadruped, its range extending to 

 Parry's Isles in latitude 75° N., if not to a still higher parallel. 

 Gulo barbara, enumerated by Lichtenstein in his list of Mexican 

 animals, extends southwards through all the warmer districts 

 of America. Mr. Gray pointed out to me its closer resemblance 

 in external form to the weasels than to the northern glutton, 

 and its differences from the latter in the form of its feet, which, 

 though plantigrade, are slightly webbed, in its long tail, and 

 in its having a tooth fewer in each jaw ; it should therefore be 

 separated, together with its allied species, in which case gulo 

 would remain entirely a northern genus. . Bassaris astiita is a 

 Mexican animal, noticed by Hernandez under the name of tepe- 

 maxtlatan, which has characters intermediate between viverra 

 and nasua, and is therefore placed in a new genus by Lichten- 

 stein. 



Digitigrada. — The American weasels and martins have greatly 

 perplexed naturalists, and their synonyms are involved in much 

 confusion ; yet we can pretty confidently assert that five species 

 only are known in the fur-countries from latitude 50° N. to the 

 Arctic sea. The range of the described species is limited to the 

 northern or middle districts of the United States ; but Lich- 

 tenstein informs us that some new kinds inhabit the elevated 

 lands of Mexico. The ermine has been seen as high as the 73^ 

 degree of latitude on the west side of Baffin's Bay*. It is very 

 probable that both the ermine and stoat of America are distinct 

 species from those of the old continents, the superior quality of 

 the fur of the Siberian ermine being one marked difference; 

 while there are others, such as the much smaller skull of the 



* Sir J. Ross, Firsi Voyage. 



