FAMILY. 
MUSTELIDAE. 
Fam. Ch.—C arnivora, with a single tubercular molar tooth only, on either side of each jaw ; the sectorial premolar of typical 
shape. Feet five-toed ; plantigrade or digitigrade. Coecum wanting. 
The preceding diagnosis, taken from Wagner, expresses in few words the characters of a group 
of the Carnivora with, numerous representatives in America. Most species are of small size, 
the weasels especially—the smallest of true carpivora—while others, as the badgers, gluttons, 
&c., attain very respectable dimensions. The feet vary in character, sometimes naked, at others 
hairy, with or without naked pads. The nature of the soles, according to Wagner, is however, 
no indication as to whether the animal is digitigrade or plantigrade; those of the former char¬ 
acter having them sometimes naked, and of the latter, hairy. 
The food of the Mustelidae varies much in its nature, the species of different groups being 
sometimes purely carnivorous, at others omnivorous. In the absence of a coecum, they approach 
the bears. Most species have anal glands, which secrete a foetid liquid, which, in the American 
skunks, reaches the maximum of offensiveness. 
The Mustelidae are usually divided into four sections, although Burmeister refers them all to 
three, having the following characters : 
1. Martinae. —With a small, short, and decidedly transversely elongated posterior molar in the 
upper jaw, and an unequal number of molars, generally, in the two jaws. (Martens, weasels.) 
2. Lutrinae. —With a large quadrate posterior upper molar ; the number of molars in the 
two jaws equal. (Otters.) 
3. Melinae. —With a large quadrate posterior upper molar ; the number of molars in the two 
jaws unequal, as in the Martinae. (Badgers and skunks.) 
Wagner constructs a fourth group of Mellivorae, to include Ratellus and Galictis. Burmeister, 
however, places both among the Martinae, although the former genus is aberrant in having the 
number of molars the same in both jaws, through the deficiency of one lower true molar, leaving 
but a single true molar above and below. “ With the exception of Ratellus , then, all the Mus¬ 
telidae have one true molar on each side above, and two below. The upper true molar is sup¬ 
ported by one inner and sometimes by one, ( Putorius, Gulo ,) sometimes two, ( Mustela, Lutra, 
Mephitis,) outer fangs. The second true molar below, is also tubercular, but has a single fang.” 
(Owen.) 
Sub-Family MARTINAE. 
Upper true molar short, transversely elongated ; molars unequal in number in the two jaws. Soles generally hairy; the 
walk more or less plantigrade. 
In this sub-family are included many animals peculiar to North America, and for the most 
part inhabiting the higher latitudes ; a few species, however, occur in the warmer regions of 
the continent. The genera with which we have here to do are Mustela, Putorius, and Gulo, the 
second one susceptible of several subdivisions. 
