BRIDLED WEASEL. 
73 
Ermine in the South, and that with similar roving and predacious 
habits it has a more extended geographical range than is at present 
known. The field of natural history in Texas, California, and Mexico, 
has been as yet very imperfectly explored. We have only heard of the 
Bridled Weasel as being found in four widely separated localities— in 
Texas between the Colorado and Rio Grande, in Mexico in the vicini- 
ty of the capita], and in the northern parts near Monterey, and in the 
valleys of the mountains south-west of that city. 
GENERAL REMARKS. 
In comparing this singularly marked species with others from the 
Eastern and Western hemispheres, we have been struck with the uni- 
formity existing on both continents in the nearly equal distribution of 
predacious animals, and in their close resemblance to each other, in 
size, form and habits. The badger in Europe {Meles vulgaris) is in 
America replaced by M. Lahradoria. The European Otter {Lutra vul- 
garis) has its representative in America in our Canada otter {Lutra 
Canadensis). The European mink (P. lutreola) is replaced by our near- 
ly similar (P. vison). The European ferret {P.furo) by our western 
black- footed ferret (P. nigripes). The ermine and common weasel of 
the north of Europe (P. erminea) and (P. vulgaris) by our ermine and 
brown weasel (P. erminea) and (P.fusca) in the Northern and Middle 
States of America, and the Java ferret (P. nudipes) has its represent- 
ative near the tropics m America in our (P. frenata), nearly of the 
same size, and with snnilar habits. There is evidently great wisdom 
in this arrangement of Providence. Countries under similar latitudes 
producing large numbers of the smaller rodentia, require a certain num- 
ber of carnivorous animals to prevent their too rapid multiplication, which 
in the absence of such a provision of nature would be destructive of the 
interests of the husbandman. 
VOL. II. — 1C 
