441 
MR. HE. R. ALSTON ON THE BRITISH MARTENS. 
[At the last scientific meeting of the Zoological Society a paper was 
read by Mr. Alston “On the Specific Identity of the British Martens.” 
The subject being one which has especial interest for naturalists in this 
country, it is believed that the publication of Mr. Alston’s remarks in this 
journal will be appreciated by many who would not otherwise have an 
opportunity of perusing them. We need hardly say that should any of our 
correspondents be in a position to examine specimens of British-killed 
Martens, whether recent or otherwise, by the light of Mr. Alston’s 
observations, we shall be glad to receive their criticisms.—ED.] 
“Two European species of Martens,” says Mr. Alston, “ have 
been generally recognised by naturalists since the days of Albertus 
Magnus and Agricola, although some writers, including Linneus 
himself, regarded them as identical. It is only of late years, how- 
ever, that their specific distinctness has been finally proved; and, 
before considering the question of the identity of the British 
Martens, it will be well to point out the true synonymy and 
’ diagnostic characters of the species in question, concerning which 
some confusion still appears to exist. 
Several systematic writers, especially in Germany and America, 
have assigned the Linnean title Mustela to the Martens, instead 
of to the more truly typical Weasels, on the ground that this had 
been done by Cuvier. But the names Putorius and Mustela were 
only employed by the great French zoologist to mark sous-genres, 
and were not used binomially to indicate distinct genera.* The 
first definite separation was made three years later by Nilsson, 
who gave the generic title of Martes to the present group ;+ and 
thus both priority and propriety sanction the restriction of the 
name Mustela to the true Weasels and Ermines. There has also 
been some difference of opinion as to the specific name which 
should properly be given to the Mustela martes of Linneus. 
Many writers have employed abietum, apparently on the ground 
that it was used as a varietal name by Linneus himself. This, 
however, is not the case: the varieties abietum and fagorum were 
* «Reégne Animal’ (Ire éd. 1817), i. pp. 147, 199. 
t ‘Skand. Fauna’ (Ist ed. 1820), i. p.41. The genus Martes has been quoted by 
Lilljeborg and some others as instituted by “ G. Cuvier, 1797;” this error appears 
to have originated in a misunderstanding of the French plural Martes in the 
‘Tableau Klémentaire.’ 
3.1L 
