SYSTEMATIC WORK. 
Mamm. 29 
/. Mustelidje. 
Mustela martes ( Martes sylvatica), its distribution in Britain ; Harting, 
Zoologist (3) xvii, p. 161. 
Mephitis occidentalism its distribution and habits ; Purpus, Zool. Garten, 
xxxiv, p. 134. 
Mellivora indica , recorded by Buchner, supra , p. 5, from Transcaspia. 
Meles taxus : the minimum period of gestation considered by Nehring, 
Zool. Garten, xxxiv, p. 107, to be six months. 
f Parietis princeous [? Parictis princeps~\, n. g. & sp., Scott, Amer. Natural, 
xxvii, p. 658, John Day Miocene, Oregon. 
B.— PINNIPEDIA. 
In Jena. Zeitschr. xxviii, pp. 76-118, Kukenthal gives the results of 
his observations on the morphology and development of the teeth of 
this group, the forms specially described being Trichechus and Phoca. 
He considers that the presence of three pairs of lower incisors in the 
former lends no support to the view that it is more nearly allied to 
certain land Carnivores than to the Phocidce. 
Otaria : for structure of foetus, see Roch^, supra , p. 18; for approach- 
ing extermination of Fur-Seals in the South Seas, see Chapman, p. 6. 
The structure and power of the Seal’s eye has been investigated by 
Johnson, supra, p. 11. 
C. — +CREODONTA. 
g. fPALJlONICTIDiE. 
f Palceonictis occidentalis (Zool. Rec. xxix, Mamm. p. 32) described by 
Osborn, Bull. Soc. geol. France (3) xx, p. 435. 
5. RODENTIA. 
For structure of thyroid, see Christiani, supra, p. 6. 
a. SciURIDiE. 
Following an exhaustive survey of their dentition, Forsyth-Major, 
P. Zool. Soc. London, 1893, pp. 179-215, proposes the following classi- 
fication of the family, viz. : — 
1. Sciurinas. — Rhitlirosciuru8 , Xerus , Sciurus , Spermophilus , 
Arctomys , and Gynomys ; Sciurus being subdivided into 
Eosciurus, Sciurus proper, and Tamias. 
2. Pteromyin^e. — Sciuropterus , Pteromys , and Eupetaurus. 
3. Nannosciurin^e. — Nannosciurus. 
While Rhithrosciurus and the Sciurus vulgaris group show the most primi- 
