636 THE CARNIVORES 



allied to the bears and raccoons ; and, as a matter of convenience, it is found best to- 

 continue to place them in this position, as it somewhat simplifies classification. The 

 evidence furnished by the numerous forms of extinct Carnivores, which have been 

 discovered of late years in the middle and lower Tertiary rocks of Europe and North 

 America, points, however, very strongly to the conclusion that the nearest allies of 

 the weasels are in reality the civets, and that the former group is the direct descen- 

 dant of the latter. If this view be true, and the evidence in its favor is very 

 strong indeed, it follows that the structural resemblance of the weasels to the bears 

 and raccoons is an instance of what is termed parallel development, and indicates no- 

 near genetic connection between the two groups. 



The family is a very widely distributed one, having representatives on all the 

 great continents, with the exception of Australia. It attains, however, its maximum 

 development in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere ; and it may be 

 noted that none of its members inhabit Madagascar. In regard to coloration there 

 is an enormous amount of variation. Several of the northern forms have a dark 

 summer and a light winter dress, and thereby differ from all other Carnivores except 

 the Arctic fox. Then a large number of the martens and weasels and all the otters- 

 are clothed with fur of a nearly uniform dark tint, while one of the martens and 

 some of the badgers are remarkable for their extreme brilliance. Moreover, the 

 American skunks and the Cape polecat {Ictonyx) are remarkable for their contrast- 

 ing bands of black or dark brown and white, and thus form some of the most con- 

 spicuously colored of all Mammals. It is also noteworthy that in the parti-colored 

 examples there is a great tendency for the under parts of the body to be darker than 

 the upper ; whereas, it is scarcely necessary to observe, the reverse is the case in the 

 great majority of Mammals. Again, there is a tendency for the different colors to 

 arrange themselves in longitudinal lines or patches, or so as to make the whole of 

 the upper surface of the body light, and its under surface dark ; and in no case are 

 there either spots or transverse bands of color, while equally noteworthy is the en- 

 tire absence of alternating dark and light rings of color on the tail. Many of the 

 members of this family yield furs of great commercial value. 



The various members of the family are generally divided into three main groups, 

 distinguished from one another by the characteristic of their teeth and claws. These 

 groups are the weasels, the badgers, and the otters, which we proceed to consider in 

 the order named. 



THE TAYRA AND ORISON 

 Genus Galictis 



The first representatives of the weasels are the peculiar South and Tropical 

 American species, which are respectively known as the tayra and grison. The 

 principal distinctive features of the group to which these belong are briefly as 

 follows : 



In the whole group the toes are short and only partially webbed, with short, 

 sharp, and curved claws, which may be partially retractile. The single upper molar 



