130 MBLINID^. 



American Badger, Penn. Syn. p. 204. 



? Brairo {French Canadians), Lewis 8f Clarke, Trav. ii. p. 40. 



Siffleur, French Camadiana. 



Flacyotl, Hernandez. 



Var. Berlandieri. Smaller ; reddish above, with a narrow white 

 dorsal streak. 



Taxidea Berlandieri, Baird, Mamm. N. A. p. 205, t. 39. f. 1 (Mexico). 



Var. californica, pale line continued from nape to base of tail 

 (Bennett, P. Z. S. 1833, p. 42). (SkuH, B.M.) 



Hah. California (David Douglas) ; Texas (skuU, B.M.). 



in. lin. 



Length of skuU 4 10 



of nose 1 3g 



'— of palate 2 6 



of orbit and zygoma 2 5 



Width of skull over ears 2 6 



of nose at orbits 1 3 



of skuU behind 3 



Length of lower jaw 1 5 



4. MYDAUS. 



Head conical. Nose attenuated. Muzzle rather produced, mo- 

 bile, obliquely truncated ; beneath rather bald, with a distinct cen- 

 tral longitudinal bald groove. Nostrils inferior, lateral. Body 

 short ; lunbs short. Peet plantigrade, soles broad, bald to the heel. 

 Toes 5.5; front claws elongate, strong, unequal ; hinder strong, 

 rather acute. Tail short ; anal glands distinct. SkuU elongate ; 

 orbit not contracted behind. Teeth 34 ; grinders f . | ; false grin- 

 ders f . f , one-rooted (Blainv. Osteogr. Subwrsus, t. 1). 



Mydaus, F. Cuv. ; Gray, Cat. Mamm. B. M. xxi. p. 69 ; P. Z. S. 



1865, p. 143. 

 Mephitis, q)., Desm. 

 Mydaon, Gloger, 1842. 



SkuU elongate, slender iu front ; nose elongate, tapering, shelving 

 on the sides ; orbit very incomplete, small ; suborbital foramen mo- 

 derate, ovate, zygomatic arch flattened, slender; brain-case ovate, 

 ventricose, truncated behind ; palate slightly concave, especially in 

 the middle behind ; hinder opening to the nostrils ovate, in a line 

 with the middle of the zygomatic arch ; bulla of the ears low, 

 slightly convex. The cutting-teeth broad, in an arched line, trun- 

 cated, the outer ones rather the largest, with a . slight notch in the 

 hinder edge ; canine compressed, far from the cutting-tooth ; false 

 grinders two, the first small, second compressed ; the flesh-tooth 

 roundish,, trigonal, outer edge with a compressed marginal tubercle, 

 inner lobe broad, rounded, with two conical tubercles, the hinder 

 smaU, and united to the ridge on the outer margin ; the tubercular 

 grinder oblong subrhombic, rather longer than wide, the front and 



