176 CARNIVORA. 
Girsus americanus, Pallas’. 
uh North America. 
40849. Fragment of the right maxilla, containing the second true 
molar; from “‘ Big-bone Lick,” Kentucky, U.S.A. 
Presented by C. Falconer, Esq., 1867. 
Family MUSTELIDA. 
Genus MUSTELA, Linn.’ 
[Including the subgenera Mustela, Cuvier (Martes, Nilsson), and Puto- 
rius, Cuvier (Mustela, Nilsson), and the genus Plesiogale, Pomel?. | 
Dentition.—The existing species of the subgenus Mustela have 
the following dental formula, viz., I. = C. 7 Pm. > M. 5 but in 
those belonging to Putoriws the number of the premolars is only e 
In some species belonging to the so-called Plesiogale the dental 
formula, according to Phe (Ann. Sci. Géol. vol. x. art. 3, p. 177), 
is I, 3 BC. ; ppatide = , M. 5 , the number of premolars being in the upper 
jaw Ne same as In ah proper, and in the lower as in Putorwus. 
Tf, as is done by Filhol in the work cited, the genus Plesiogale* is 
united with Mustela (in its wide sense), it appears that for paleon- 
tological purposes it is impossible to maintain the subgenera Mus- 
tela and Putorius, and all the forms are consequently included in 
Mustela. The dental formula of the genus as thus extended will 
be, Co Pm , M. 3. In the living species of Mustela 
proper the inner cusp is ene well developed in m. 1, but it is 
usually absent in Putorvws. 
{Hustela martes, Linn.’ 
Syn. Martes sylvatica, Nilsson. 
Dentition :—I1. C. i, em, a M. 
Hab. Northern Europe. 
1 Spicilegia Zoologica, vol. xiv. p. 6 (1780). 
2 Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 66 (1766). 
3 Bull. Soc. Géol. France, ser. 2, vol. iv. p. 880 (1846). 
4 In his earlier work on the Quercy Phosphorites (Ann. Sci. Géol. vol. vii. 
art. 7, pp. 42-45) Filhol maintains the genus Plesiogale. 'The first species so 
named (P. mutabilis) was, however, subsequently referred to Paleoprionodon 
(vide supra, p. 94); and in the Ann, Sci. Géol. vol. x. art. 3, species such as 
P. waterhousei, P. angustifrons, and P. mustelina are all referred to Mustela, 
although the generic term Plestogale is retained in the description of the 
plates. 
> Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 67 (1766). 
= 
