198 
GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. 
[PART IV. 
caverns in many parts of Europe, and several extinct species 
have been found in Tertiary deposits in Europe, North India, 
and South America. Two species have been found so far back 
as the Eocene of France, but the fragments discovered are not 
sufficient to determine the characters with any certainty. In 
North America, several species of Canis occur in the Pliocene of 
Nebraska and La Plata. The genus Galeeynus , of the Pliocene 
of (Eninghen, and Palceocyon, of the Brazilian caves, are sup- 
posed to belong to the Canidse. Amphicyon abounded in the 
Miocene period, both in Europe and North America; and some 
of the species were as large as a tiger. Other extinct genera 
are, Cynodictis , Cyotherium, and Galethylax , from the Eocene 
of France; Pseudocyon, Simocyon, and Hemicyon , from the 
Miocene ; but all these show transition characters to Viverridse 
or Ursidae, and do not perhaps belong to the present family. 
Family 29.— MUSTELIDiE. (21-28 Genera, 92 Species.) 
General Distribution. 
N FtOTROPIOAL 
Sub-regions. 
NE ARCTIC 
S ub-regions. 
Palasarctic 
Sub-regions. 
Ethiopian 
Sub-regions. 
Oriental 
Sub-regions. 
Australian 
Sub-regions. 
1 . 2 . 3 - 
1 . 2 . 3. 4 
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 
1 . 2.3 — 
1 . 2 . 3 .4 | 
— 
The Mustelidae constitute one of those groups which range 
over the whole of the great continental areas. They may be 
divided info three sub-families — one, the Mustelinae, containing 
the weasels, gluttons, and allied forms ; a second, the Lutrinse, 
containing the otters ; and a third, often considered a distinct 
family, the Melininse, containing the badgers, ratels, skunks, 
and their allies. 
In the first group (Mustelinse) the genera Maries and 
Putorius (13 species), range over all the Palsearctic region, and a 
considerable part of the Oriental, extending through India to 
Ceylon, and to Java and Borneo. Two species of Maries 
{—Mustela of Baird) occur in the United States. The weasels, 
forming the genus Mustela (20 species), have a still wider range, 
extending into tropical Africa and the Cordilleras of Peru, but 
