1902.] MUSTELA PAL^ATTICA, 113 



to each other, but in the Turin specimen there is a slight emargi- 

 nation on the posterior margin, internally from the third cusp ; 

 and the same may be seen in a fine skull of M. palceattica from 

 Pikermi, which forms part of Dr. A. Smith Woodward's recent 

 successful excavations at Pikermi. In the Valleyres, Turin, and 

 London specimens the interior margin of the tooth is slightly 

 more elongate than the exterior, so that the anterior and the 

 posterior margins converge slightly towards the outer sides. 

 Conversely, in the Indian Martens (the M. flavigula- gvow^) 

 " this molar difiers in form from that in M. foina and M. martes 

 by having the inner lobe no broader from back to front than the 

 outer." 1 



On the whole the fossil tooth differs from the molars of the 

 martes-gvow^ by slight characters only. Now, the only reason for 

 collocating the fossil within the Afelince has been the shape of 

 this upper m. 1, with which of course goes hand in hand that of 

 the talon of the lower m. 1. It is, however, to be considered 

 that a tooth situated at the posterior end of the series is always 

 liable to vary more or less, and within the Melince in particular 

 this tooth is by no means characteristic for the gi-oup. In 

 Helictis it is quite narrow, the inner part not broader than the 

 outer and the anterior and posterior margin almost parallel. In 

 Meles the outer margin is much shorter than the inner, so that in 

 this respect Meles agrees more with Mustela 'martes and allied 

 species. In Mejihitis and allies there is no trace of a third cusp, 

 which, on the other hand, is present, although feebly developed, in 

 the unwoi'n molars of some species of Mustela (e. g., M. j^^nnanti, 

 M. zibellina), as also in unworn specimens of the South- African 

 Mellivora (M. ratel), as well as in the Vison. 



Far more characteristic is the upper carnassial (PI. VII. 

 figs. 3 & 4). In the Mustelince and in " Promeles " it shows 

 the elongate form and the small anterior talon-cusp. The region 

 of the cheek is more sharply separated than in recent Mustela 

 from the nasal region by a blunt arcuate ridge, and in relation 

 with this the depression in front of the orbits and above the 

 infraorbital foramen is deeper. 



The anterior and posterior r"oots of the zygoma rise almost 

 vertically, so that the zygoma is shown to have a highly arcuate 

 form, just as in Mustela. 



The palate is more prolonged behind the molar series than in 

 the i-ecent species. 



The under contour of the mandible is slightly more arcuate in 

 the fossil than in M. zibellina and M. martes, and even more than 

 in Mustela foina as described. 



In all the Melince the carnassial is short and often provided 

 with two or three talon-cusps. When there is only one [Mephitis), 

 this is placed opposite the middle of the blade, and on either side 

 connected by a cingulum with the antero- and the postero- 



1 W. T. Blanford, ' The Fauna of British India '—Mammalia, p. 159 (1888). 



Proc. Zool. See— 1902, Vol, I, No, VIII, 8 



