AMERICAN BADGER. 369 



it as four toed. Gmelin who gave it a scientific name, made " Palmis 

 tetradactylis" one of its specific characters. 



ScHREBER first Considered the American, as a distinct species from the 

 European, Badger ; Cuvier seems to have arrived at a ditTerent conclu- 

 sion ; Shaw gave tolerably good figures of both species on the same 

 plate, pointing out their specific difierences ; and Sabine entered into a 

 minute comparison. Richardson (F. B. A.,) added considerably to our 

 knowledge of the history and habits of the American Badger ; and our 

 esteemed friend, G. R. Waterhodse, Esq., has given descriptions and 

 excellent figures of the skull and teeth, in which the distinctive marks 

 in the dentition of the two species are so clearly pointed out, that 

 nothing farther remains to be added in that department. 



We have compared specimens of the Blaireux of Lewis and Clarke, 

 found on the plains of Missouri, with those obtained by Townsend near 

 the Columbia, and also with specimens from the plains of the Sas- 

 katchewan in the Zoological museum, and found them all belonging to 

 the same species. 



48 



