118 
■ CARNIVORA. 
or martens ; the mephites, or mephitic weasels ; and 
the lutrce, or otters ; as different genera. The vi- 
verrae he classes with the dogs, on account, also, 
of a similarity of the teeth of these animals with 
those of the canine genus. 
Without descending to minutiae, in a work not 
professing scientific research, we shall merely ob- 
serve, that the first four of these subdivisions have the 
teeth corresponding in general description, though 
the number of cheek-teeth varies in each. They do 
not appear, however, as far as we have ascertained, 
always to correspond in different species belonging 
to each of these genera^. The martens have, ge- 
nerally, one more cheek-tooth than the polecats in 
each jaw j and the mephitic weasels and the otters 
have a larger flat surface to the hind teeth than the 
former two. Lastly, in the viverrm there are two 
molar teeth at the back of the upper jaw, though 
both together do not present a larger surface than 
the single one proper to the other genera. 
Figure 1, on the opposite plate, represents the 
teeth, jaws, and occiput of the marten ; and figure 
52, the upper jaw reversed, showing the shape and 
position of the last or flat tooth. To these are added, 
from Cuvier, figure 3, which represents a side view 
of the cheek-teeth of the polecat, and its consimilars ; 
figure 4, those of the mephitic weasels y figure 5, the 
* I have the head of an ichneumon, which is without any incisive 
teeth in the lower jaw, the alveolar processes of these teeth ap- 
pearing to have been entirely absorbed, or at least not present, so that 
the canine teeth are nearly close together. 
