EXTERNAL CHARACTERS OF THE MUSTELID^. 805 



have been placed according to the fancy of authors in either 

 subfamily. It is quite clear therefore that there is something 

 wrong with the classification, and that the characters used for 

 defining the two subfamilies are insufficient for the purpose. 



In 1920 (Proc. Zool. Soc. pp. 179-187 and pp. 424-436) 

 I attempted to show that Miller's guess as to the kinship between 

 Oulo and MeUivora was untenable ; and that there is practically 

 no evidence of sufficiently close relationship between Meles and 

 Taxidea to justify their retention in the same subfamily. Gulo 

 was affiliated with Martes ; Gill's subfamily Mellivorinse was 

 resuscitated for MeUivora ; Taxidiinse was proposed as a new 

 subfamily group for Taxidea ; and Meles and Arctonyx were 

 provisionally left as the sole representatives of the Melinse. 



Subsequently (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1921, pp. 473-486 and pp. 535- 

 546) a study of the auditory bullae in the Mustelidie supplied 

 additional characters for the definition of the subfamilies ; and 

 reasons for the admission of several genera of Lutrinte were 

 brought forwai'd. 



In the following pages the external characters of all available 

 genera, apart from Gido, MeUivora, Meles, Taxidea, and the 

 genera of Lutrinse, which I dealt with in the papers just mentioned, 

 are described in detail ; and a summary of the results setting 

 forth my views on the classification of the Mustelidaj is given at 

 the end. 



Most of the material forming the subject-matter of the paper 

 consisted of specimens which had lived in the Zoological Gardens 

 and were examined after death at the Society's Prosectorium. 

 Mr. Oldfield Thomas, however, has given me all the facilities at 

 his command for studying the splendid collection under his 

 charge at the Natural History Museum. I am much indebted to 

 him and to Mr. Martin Hinton for the help received in this way. 

 I am also particularly grateful to Mr. Cyril Hopwood, a member 

 of the Council of the Rangoon Zoological Society, for sending me 

 through Mr. Max Friedlander, the Superintendent of the Gardens, 

 a spirit-specimen of Mdogale personata \ and to Mr. E. Jacobson, 

 for procuring for me at Mr. Boden Kloss's request, a similarly 

 preserved example of Plesiogale nudijMs * from Fort de Kock on 

 the west coast of Sumatra. 



The Bhinariiom. 



The most primitive type of rhinarium is found in Martes and 

 Gido. It is naked above, the lateral slits of the nostrils extend 

 nearly to its posterior margin, the infranarial portions are shallow 

 or moderately deep, the inferior edge is convex or angled, but it 

 is not, strictly sj^eaking, continlied over the upper lip — that is to 

 say, the gutter which cleaves the lip consists of smooth skin 

 difi'erentiated' by its texture from the rhinarium above. This 



* Gray referred this species, witli others, to his genus Gymnopus (see infra, p. 818). 

 That name, however, is preoccupied. Hence I propose Flesiogale as a suhstitute. 



