PUTORIUS. 277 



Key of the Indian Species. 



a Limbs and lower surface darker than the upper parts ; skull 

 large and thick ; the bulla connected with the hamilar process 

 of the pterygoids by a narrow bridge of bone. 



b. Back fulvous, longer hairs black-tipped. 



P. larvatus, p. 278, 

 b'^. Back dark-spotted and blotched with yellow. 



P. sarmaticus, p. 278. 

 a^. Limbs and lower surface not darker than the back. 



c. Tip of tail dusky or black. 



d. In winter pure white ; in summer dark brown aboVe ; 



yellowish white below ; bulla not very flat, rounded in 

 front. P. ertninea, p. 278. 



d^. Lower parts brown, P. subhemachalanus, p. 280. 



c^. Tip of tail not darker. 



e. A pale yellow median dorsal stripe present ; the yellow of 



the ventral surface not extending further than the breast. 



P. strigidorsus, p. 282. 

 e*. No dorsal stripe. 

 /. Nose white, above chestnut. P. canigula, p. 280.. 



/^. Nose the same colour as the tprehead. 



g. Back dark brown ; below bright yellow ; bulla pointed 

 in front. P. kathiah, p. 281. 



g^. Back very light brown, below a little paler. 



P. alpinus, p. 281. 



Putorius foetidus. 



Mustela putorius, £«««ffi«s Syrf. Nat., I2th ed., i, p. 67 (1766); Blyth 



Cat. no. 197, p. 67. 

 Mustela furo, id. ibid, p. 68 (1766) [ dom, var]. 

 Putorius vulgaris, Griffith Anim. King., v, p. 120 (1827). 

 Putorius foetidus, Gray List Mamm. B. M., p. 64 (1843) i Gray Cat. Cam. 



Mamm., p. 87 ; Coues Fur-bearing Animals of North America, p, 154. 

 Foetorius putorius, Blasius Sdugetk. Deuischl., p. 222 (1857). 



The Pole Cat. 



Distribution. — Middle and Northern Europe, Asia, Northern and 

 Central regions ? 



