176 CARNIVORA. 



Steins ammcanutf, Pallas 1 . 

 Hob. North America. 



40849. Fragment of the right maxilla, containing the second true 

 molar ; from " Big-bone Lick," Kentucky, U.S.A. 



Presented by C. Falconer, Esq., 1867. 



Family MUSTELINE. 

 Genus MUSTELA, Linn. 2 



[Including the subgeuera Mustela, Cuvier (Maries, Nilsson), and Puto- 

 rius, Cuvier (Mustela, Nilsson), and the genus Plesiogale, Pomel 3 .] 



Dentition. The existing species of the subgenus Mustela have 

 the following dental formula, viz., I. |, C. \, Pm. |, M. \; but in 

 those belonging to Putorius the number of the premolars is only ^' 

 In some species belonging to the so-called Plesioyale the dental 

 formula, according to Filhol (Ann. Sci. Geol. vol. x. art. 3, p. 177), 

 is 1. 1, C. j, Pm. |, M. \ t the number of premolars being in the upper 

 jaw the same as in Mustela proper, and in the lower as in Putorius. 

 If, as is done by Filhol in the work cited, the genus Plesiogale* is 

 united with Mustela (in its wide sense), it appears that for palaeon- 

 tological purposes it is impossible to maintain the subgenera Mus- 

 tela and Putorius, and all the forms are consequently included in 

 Mustela. The dental formula of the genus as thus extended will 

 be I. f, C. i, Pm. =, M. |. In the living species of Mustela 

 proper the inner cusp is generally well developed in nTl, but it is 

 usually absent in Putorius. 



S, Linn. 5 

 Syn. Maries syhatica, Nilsson. 

 Dentition : 1. f , C. \, Pm. J, M. \. 

 Hal). Northern Europe. 



1 Spicilegia Zoologica, vol. xiv. p. 6 (1780). 



2 Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 66 (1766). 



3 Bull. Soc. Geol. France, ser. 2, vol. iv. p. 380 (1846). 



4 In his earlier work on the Quercy Phosphorites (Ann. Sci. Gol. vol. vii. 

 art. 7, pp. 42-45) Filhol maintains the genus Plesiogale. The first species so 

 named (P. mutabilis) was, however, subsequently referred to Palaoprionodon 

 (vide supra, p. 94) ; and in the Ann. Sci. Geol. vol. x. art. 3, species such as 

 P. waterkousei, P. angustifr&ns, and P. mustelina are all referred to Mustela, 

 although the generic term Plesiogak is retained in the description of the 

 plates. 



5 Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 67 (1766). 



