150 
CARNIVORA. 
name of mouffette de Chili. It is probably the same 
as the viverra conepatl of Hernandez, and the ma- 
purito of Mutis, which Gmelin adopted as a distinct 
species. 
The Baron Cuvier seems to have bestowed very 
great pains to clear up the existing difficulties on 
the subject of these animals. He quotes, from various 
writers, the description given by each of the mephitic 
weasels ; and we shall subjoin the result of his in- 
quiries, premising, that their cheek-teeth correspond 
in number with those of the pole-cat subdivision; 
but the molar, or flat tooth, is larger ; and the op- 
posite tooth to it, in the lower jaw, has two tubercles. 
The claws on the fore feet are also very long, cal- 
culated for digging, and indicating subterraneous 
habits ; but their most distinctive peculiarity con- 
sists in the preeminently offensive vapour they emit, 
which exceeds any thing of the kind other weasels 
are capable of, and separates them, in a remarkable 
manner, from all other animals. 
Azara (Animaux de Paraguay, t. 1, p. Sll) de- 
scribes the yagouar6, which has two white bands, 
extending to the tail ; but which bands, he says, are 
altogether wanting in certain individuals, and are 
but slightly indicated in others. 
Kalm (Voyage, p. 452) describes the skunk of 
the Americans, which has one dorsal white band, 
and another on each side. 
Gemeili-Carreri (Voyage, t. 6, p. 212) mentions 
the zorille merely as being black and white, with a 
very fine tail. 
