442 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
not accepted by him; he merely says that such a distinction was 
recognised by the peasants.* Moreover, if abietum be used, the 
universally known name of foina for the allied species would have 
to, be withdrawn in fayour of fagorum. The earliest equivalent 
to Mustela martes appears undoubtedly to be Nilsson’s Martes 
sylvatica; and the synonymy of the two species should therefore 
stand thus :— 
I. Marres sytyatica (The Pine Marten). 
Mustela martes, Linneus, Syst. Nat. (12th ed.), i. p. 67 (1766). 
Martes sylvatica, Nilsson, Faun. Skand. (1st ed.), i. p. 41 (1820). 
3 vulgaris, Griffith, Cuvier’s An. Kingd., v. p.. 128 (1827). 
» - abietum, Fleming, Brit. Animals, p. 14, ex Ray (1828). 
» sylvestris, Nilsson, Faun. Skand. (2d ed.), i: p..171) ex 
Gesner (1827). 
II. Marres rorna (The Beech Marten). 
Mustela foina, Erxleben, Syst. Reg. An., p. 458 (1777). + 
Martes foina, Nilsson, Faun. Skand. (1st ed.), i. p. 88 (1820), 
3 fagorum, Fleming, Brit. Animals, p. 14, ex Ray (1828). 
The cranial and dental characters by which Martes sylvdtica 
and M. foina may be recognised were first pointed out by Dr. Ri 
Hensel, in 1853,{ further elaborated’ by Blasius in’ 1857,§ .and 
recently revised by Dr. Elliott Coues in ea yl a with their 
American congeners: I 
“At various times,” adds Mr. Alston, “ Ihave oatlie com- 
pared, the descriptions of these writers with a great number of 
skulls ; and although many of the distinctions which they have 
pointed out are merely comparative, and though some of them 
prove -to, be: inconstant when a large. series of specimens ‘are 
examined, yet I) have never found the slightest)! difficulty: in! 
* «“ Varictas duplex rusticis: Fagorum gutture albo;. Abietum gutture flavo.” 
Syst! Nat! (12th ed.), i.’ p. 67. y 1 
+ Drs Elliott ‘Coues; in’ his’ * Fur-bearing Animals” (p.'77), gives! Jf. foina ‘as 
nstituted, by “ White, Phil. Trans. Ixiy, 1774, 196,” having seemingly been misled 
by some reference to Gilbert White’s celebrated Monograph of the House Martin, 
Hirundo urbica ! 
t ‘Arch. f. Naturg.,’ xix. 17—22, pl. ii. 
§ ‘Saugeth, Deutschl.,’ pp. 211—219. 
|| ‘ Fur-bearing Animals,’ pp. 74—80, pls. iii., iv. 
