106 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



in their habits, all these animals have short and partially-webbed 

 toes, with short, sharp, compressed, curved, and frequently 

 partially retractile claws. The upper molar tooth is trans- 

 versely elongated, and consequently wider than long. In all 

 cases the body is much elongated, while the limbs are short. 



In the genus Mustela the relative length of the body and 

 limbs, like that of the tail, is subject to considerable variation ; 

 the feet are nearly or completely digitigrade ; and the claws are 

 partially retractile. Whereas in the typical forms, or Martens, 

 the number of pre-molar teeth is four pairs in each jaw, in the 

 Polecats and Weasels they are reduced to three. 



On account of this difference in the number of their teeth, 

 coupled with their more elongated and snake-like bodies, many 

 naturalists separate the Polecats, Stoats, and Weasels from the 

 Martens as a distinct genus (Putorius) ; although, to our think- 

 ing, such a sub-division is quite unnecessary. 



I. PINE MARTEN. MUSTELA MARTES. 



Mustela martes. Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 12 vol. i. p. 67 (1766). 

 Maries sylvatica, Nilsson, Skand. Fauna vol. i. p. 41 (1820). 

 Martes abietum, Fleming, British Animals p. 14 (1828); Bell, 

 British Quadrupeds 2nd ed. p. 217 (1874). 

 (Plate X.) 



Characters. Four pre-molar teeth; tail, with the hair, as 

 long as the body; general colour rich brown ; throat and chest 

 yellow; upper flesh-tooth with its outer margin concave; upper 

 molar (last tooth) simply rounded externally. 



It was long thought that two species of Marten inhabited 

 the British Islands, namely, the present species and the Beech- 

 Marten (M. foina), the latter being distinguished by its white 

 throat and chest, narrower skull, the convex outer border of 

 the upper flesh-tooth, and the notch on the outer side of the 

 upper molar. It was, however, definitely shown by Alston in 



