340 



CARNIVORA 



Bemarks. — This small, short-eared fox is probably a native 

 on the two islands where it occurs. The presence of the larger 

 animal, similar to that of Italy, on Sardinia may be due to recent 

 introduction. The Corsican specimen, though a mummy and 

 without fur, appears to be a typical example of Vulpes ichnusse. 



6. Sarrabus, Sardinia. Marquis G. Doria (p). 88. 12. 1. 2. 



(Type of species.) 

 6. Lanusei, Sardinia. 0. Thomas (p). 0. 2. 21. 1. 



(W. Wolterstorff.) 



Family MUSTELIDvE. 

 835. Mustelidss Swainson, Nat. Hist, and Classif. of Quadrupeds, p. vn, 361. 



Geographical distribution. — Essentially cosmopolitan ; absent 

 from Madagascar and Australia ; in Europe west to Ireland. 



Characters. — Larger cheek-teeth of a combined trenchant and 

 crushing type, the last upper premolar and first lower molar 

 strongly differentiated as carnassials, the former 3-rooted, its 

 inner lobe in front of middle of crown ; upper molars, 1-1 ; upper 

 carnassial with not more than two outer cusps ; auditory bulla flat 

 or moderately inflated, without septum ; form usually slender, 

 the legs always short ; size moderate or small (including the 

 smallest known carnivores) ; feet digitigrade or sub- plantigrade ; 

 toes. 5-5. 



Bemarks. — The family Mustelidse is, next to the Ganidte, the 

 most generally distributed group of carnivores. It is divisible 

 into four sub-families, all of which occur in Europe, where they 

 are represented by six of the two dozen or more known genera. 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN GENERA OP MTJSTELIDM. 



Grown of upper carnassial triangular or rhombic in 

 outline, its length and width sub-equal ; lower car- 

 nassial with anterior triangle distinct, the mefca- 

 conid nearly as large as the outer cusps. 

 Upper molar much larger than carnassial ; skull 

 narrow and high (normal), the rostrum much 

 longer than broad; tail short, bushy, not mus- 

 cular ; habits fossorial (Badgers, sub-family 



Meles, p. 341. 



Upper molar about equal to carnassial ; skull broad 

 and flat, the rostrum broader than long ; tail long, 

 densely furred, very muscular ; habits aquatic 



(Otters, sub-family Lutrime) Lutra, p. 354. 



Crown of upper carnassial not triangular or rhombic in 

 outline, its length much greater than its width ; 

 lower carnassial with anterior triangle obsolete or 

 absent (represented by the two outer cusps only), 

 the metaconid when present much smaller than the 

 other cusps. 



