362 AMERICAN BADGER. 



and its whole structure indicates that it is formed more for strength than 

 speed. 



Head, of moderate size, and conical ; the skull, between the ears, 

 broad, giving it somewhat the appearance of a pug-faced dog. Tip of 

 the nose, hairy above ; ears, short, and of an oval shape, clothed on both 

 surfaces with short hairs ; whiskers, few, not reaching beyond the eyes. 

 The fur on the back is (in winter) three inches long, covering the body 

 very densely ; on the under surface it is short, and so thin that it does not 

 conceal the colour of the skin. There is, immediately below the tail, a 

 large aperture leading into a kind of sac. Although there seems to be 

 no true glandular apparatus, this cavity is covered on its sides by an 

 unctuous matter ; there is a second and smaller underneath, in the midst 

 of which the anus opens, and on each side of the anus is a pore from 

 which an unctuous matter escapes, which is of a yellow colour and offen- 

 sive smell. Legs, short ; feet, robust, palmated to the outer joint ; nails, 

 long and strong, slightly arched, and channelled underneath toward 

 their extremities ; palms, naked. The heel is well clothed with hair ; 

 the tail is short, and is covered with long bushy hairs. 



Hair on the back, at the roots dark-gray, then light-yellow for two- 

 thirds of its length, then black, and broadly tipped with white ; giving 

 it in w^inter a hoary-gray appearance ; but in summer it makes a near 

 approach to yellowish-brown. The eyes are bright piercing black. 

 Whiskers, upper lips, nose, forehead, around the eyes, and to the back of 

 the head, dark yellowish-brown. There is a white stripe running from 

 the nose over the forehead and along the middle of the neck to the 

 shoulder. Upper surface of ear, dark brown ; inner surface and outer 

 edge of ear, white ; legs, blackish-brown ; nails, pale horn-colour ; sides 

 of face, white, which gradually darkens and unites with the brown colour 

 above ; chin and throat, dull white ; the remainder of the under surface 

 is yellowish-white ; tail, yellowish-brown. 



We have noticed some varieties in this species. In one of the speci- 

 mens before us the longitudinal white line does not reach below the 

 eyes, leaving the nose and forehead dark yellowish-brown. In two of 

 them the under surface of the body is yellowish-white, with a broad and 

 irregular longitudinal line of white in the centre ; whilst another and 

 smaller specimen has the whole of the under surface pure white, shaded 

 on the sides by a line of light yellow. 



