368 AMERICAN BADGER. 



specimen in the museum of the Zoological Society of London, that was 

 brought by Douglass, which is believed to have come from California. 



It is very doubtful whether it exists on the eastern side of the Ameri- 

 can continent. 



We are not aware that it has ever been found either in Upper or 

 Lower Canada, and we could obtain no knowledge of it in our re- 

 searches at Labrador. 



GEMEKAL REMARKS. 



The difference between the European and American species of Badger 

 is so great that it is unnecessary to institute a very particular com- 

 parison. Our species may be distinguished from that of Europe by its 

 muzzle being hairy above, whilst it is naked in the other ; the fore- 

 limbs are stouter, and the claws stronger ; its head is also more conical 

 in form. The European species has more conspicuous ears ; it has three 

 broad white marks, one on the top of the head, and one on each side, and 

 between them are two broad black lines, which include the eyes and 

 ears ; and the whole of the throat and under-jaw are black ; whilst the 

 throat and lower-jaw of the American species are white ; there is also 

 a broad white patch separating the 'black colours between the sides of 

 the forehead and ear. There are several other marks of difference 

 which it is unnecessary to particularize, as the species are now univer- 

 sally admitted to be distinct. 



Sabine supposed the American Badger to be a little the smallest. 

 There is a considerable difference among different individuals of both 

 species, but we have on an average found the two species nearly 

 equal in size. Mr. Sabine's American specimen was a small one, 

 measuring two feet two inches in body. Buffon's specimen was two 

 feet four inches. One of ours ^was two feet seven. On the other hand, 

 Shaw gives the length of head and body of the European species as 

 about two feet. Fischer in his sjTiopsis gives it as two and one third, 

 and Ctrv'iER as two and a half. We have not found any European speci- 

 men measuring more than two feet six inches. 



It was for a long time supposed, and was so stated, by Buffon, that 

 there was no true species of Badger in America ; that author, however, 

 afterwards received a specimen that was said to have come from Labra- 

 dor, which was named by Gmelin after the country where it was sup- 

 posed to be common. The name " Labrador ia" will be very inappro- 

 priate should our conjectures prove correct, that it is unknown in that 

 country. Buffon's specimen had lost one of its toes ; hence he described 



