Kotes oti tue Fauna of North Western Spain. 333 



lish märten, the murderer, while furon is the thief or rogue. The 

 derivation of gardufia is wrapped in obscurity. 



Meles taxus. Badger. „Tegon". 

 Common in Galicia, also in the Vierzo. The name of this animal 

 goes likewise back the remote antiquity ; the Spanish „t e j o n u or „t a s- 

 ugo u , Portuguese „teixugo", Italian tasso, the low latin taxus and 

 German Dachs refer to the same root which in English appears in 

 to dig. 



Lutra vulgaris, Otter. „Nutria". 



In the rivers of Galicia and North Portugal. The Portuguese at 

 the Minho, Cavado and Lima call this animal „lontra". Accidentally 

 the southern limit of the otter seems to coincide with that of the 

 salmon ; the latter ascends the Minho and then the Sil into the Vierzo. 



JErinaceus europaeus. Hedgehog. „Erico". 



Galicia and Vierzo. Sometimes called „porco espin", properly 

 speaking the name of the Porcupine, Hystrix cristata, which is said 

 to be of very rare occurrence in Andalusia. 



Myogale pyrenaica. Muskrat. „Rato mosquetero" 



This interesting little animal seems to be restricted to the Py- 

 renees, the Cantabrian ränge and the western continuation of these 

 mountain Systems into North Portugal. It has been found in the 

 streams of the Vierzo, e. g. in the Rio Valcarce near Villafranca, where 

 my friend Mr. Alfred Tait, a keen sportsman and ardent naturalist 

 at Oporto, procured a specimen. The same gentleman has caught 

 this species in the Serra Gerez in North Portugal. A specimen in 

 the Museum of Ponferrada is labelled Talpa europaea, „Topo" ! 



The name „rato mosquetero" needs no explanation. In the Py- 

 renees the animal is called „desman". Some etymologists will recog- 

 nise in this word the latin manus ! Equally futile, however, seems to 

 be the attempt to explain it as Basque, „deseman" = to give up that 

 what has given itself! 



Talpa europaea. Mole. „Topo". 

 Molehills are plentiful in the Vierzo and in suitable localities of 

 Galicia, but in the damp mountain meadows and on schistaceous ground 

 they are rare or absent. 



