98 CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



in various districts of Great Britain. Its local name of " foumart " 

 (i.e. foul marten) has reference to the evil odour which it possesses, 

 due to the same cause as in the badgers. The ferret is simply 

 a domesticated variety of this animal. There are three other 

 native species of marten: (i) the Stoat [Putorius erminea), which 

 in its winter coat is known as the Ermine; (2) the Pine Marten 

 {Mustela martes); and (3) the Weasel {Putorius vulgaris), which 

 is smaller than the rest (fig. 65). The Stoat and Pine Marten are 

 found in Ireland as well as in Great Britain. 



The Sable {Mustela zobellina) of Russia-in-Asia is the most 

 valuable fur-yielding member of the group, while the Glutton 

 (Gulo borealis) of the Arctic regions has earned an unenviable 

 reputation for voracity, though this has been much exaggerated. 



Otters are Mustelines adapted for an aquatic life, as seen in 

 the flattened tail and webbed feet. Our native species, the 

 Common Otter {Lutra vulgaris), is found both in Europe and in 

 Asia north of the Himalayas, including Japan. 



II. PiNNiPEDEs (fig. 66) include sea-lions, walruses, and 

 ordinary seals, in all of which the limbs are converted into flippers. 

 In the first two groups the hind-limbs can be turned forward to 

 assist in a clumsy sort of progression on land, but in the seals 

 proper they are permanently turned backwards and bound up by 

 folds of skin with the tail so as to form a fin. 



The Walrus [Trichechus rosmarus) of the Arctic regions is 

 remarkable not only for its flipper-like limbs but also in the 

 reduced and specialized nature of its dentition, which is adapted 

 for obtaining and crushing shell-fish and sea-urchins. Front teeth 

 are altogether absent in the adult, and the upper canines are great 

 tusks with which the food is dug up, and which also serve as 

 weapons. There are ten cheek teeth with 'flattened crowns, three 

 on each side above, and two on each side below. 



The Sea- Lions or Eared Seals, so named from the presence of 

 a small pinna, range all round the world in the colder parts of the 

 southern hemisphere, and are also found in the North Pacific. A 

 good type of the group is Steller's Sea-lion {Otaria Stelleri), which 

 is most abundant in the neighbourhood of Behring's Straits, from 

 which it ranges south to California and Japan. Its sharp-pointed 

 teeth are well suited for the capture of fish. 



The Tr7ie Seals are more thoroughly adapted to an aquatic 

 life than the two other groups of Pinnipedes, and have a much 



