TRANSACTIONS 



HmUL 



Art. I. On the Majimalia of Nova Scotia. By J. 

 Bernard Gilpin, A.B., M.D., M.R.C.S. 



No. III. 

 (Read, November 1866.) 



In the two former papers I had the honour to read on the 

 mammalia of this Province, I enumerated and described the 

 several families of bats and shrews, — the two very marked 

 representatives of the cat fiimily — our lynxes ; and the wolf and 

 fox, with their varieties, representing the dog family. With the 

 exception of the southern family of bats, feebly represented, we 

 found our shrews, our lynxes, and our foxes, numerous and 

 vigorous, beautiful in colour and strong to resist our Arctic 

 winters. 



The paper this evening will be upon the representatives of 

 the weasel family in our Province, a true boreal fauna, and 

 mmieroLis, beautiful and vigorous. We find them contained in 

 two genera and seven species. Formerly the genus Mustela 

 contained the whole. But whilst all have common habits, long 

 vermicular bodies, and lustrous fur, two species have thirty-eight 

 teeth, four more than the rest, have bush}^ tails, and longer fur, 

 attain to a laiger size, and are arboreal in habits. AA'hilst the 

 others have thirty-four teeth, slender tails, shorter fur, and 

 attain a less size. 



Mustela, — or Tree-Martins. 

 Mustela Pennanti , — I^^isher. 

 Mustela Americana , — Martin . 



