Quadrupeds. 7787 



It is difficult to describe the colour of the marten fur accurately. 

 In a large heap of skins (upwards of fifty) which I have just examined 

 minutely there exists a great variety of shades, darkening from the 

 rarer of the yellowish white and bright orange into various shades of 

 orange-brown, some of which are very dai'k. However, the general 

 tint may with propriety be termed an orange-brown, considerably 

 clouded with black on the back and belly, and exhibiting on the flanks 

 and throat more of the orange tint. The legs and paws, as well as 

 the top of the tail, are nearly pure black ; the claws are white and 

 sharp ; the ears are invariably edged with a yellowish white, and the 

 cheeks are generally of the same hue ; the forehead is of a light 

 brownish gray, darkening towards the nose, but in some specimens it 

 is nearly as dark as the body. The yellowish markings under the 

 throat (considered as a specific distinction of the pine martens) is in 

 some well defined, and of an orange tint, while in others it is almost 

 perfectly white ; it also varies much in extent, reaching to the fore- 

 head on some occasions; at other times it consists merely of a few 

 spots, while in a third of the specimens under consideration it is 

 entirely wanting. 



After minutely comparing these skins with Professor Baird's and 

 Dr. Brandt's description of the martens, and the latter gentleman's 

 paper on the sables, I find that the Mustela americana of this district 

 agrees in general more closely with the latter, and am therefore dis- 

 posed to coincide with that gentleman in his opinion that they are 

 only varieties. The martens of this district bear a greater resemblance 

 to the sables of Eastern Siberia than to the martens of Europe, holding, 

 as it may with propriety be said, an intermediate position. I am also 

 inclined to believe that the various colours found in these regions are 

 simply varieties of the same species, and that the difference, if any, 

 seen in the zib, are merely continental. In summer, when the long 

 hairs have fallen off, the pelage of this animal is darker than in winter ; 

 the forehead changes greatly, becoming as deeply coloured as any 

 other part of the body, which is of an exceedingly dark brown tint on 

 the back, belly and legs ; the yellow throat-markings are much more 

 distinct at this season, but vary much both in colour and extent, 

 though in only one summer skin are they absolutely wanting; the 

 white edging on and around the ears still remains, but the cheeks 

 assume a grayer tint; the tail is not so full, but from the high North 

 latitude (the Arctic coast) from which these skins were procured, it is 

 still rather bushy. One of the specimens has the dark hairs laid on in 

 thin longitudinal stripes, causing a curious appearance. 



