Fur-bearing animals : a monograph of North American Mustelidae, in which an account of the wolverene, the martens or sables, the ermine, the mink and various other kinds of weasels, several species of skunks, the badger, the land and sea otters, and numerous exotic allies of these animals, is contributed to the history of North American mammals / by Elliott Coues.

  • Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899.
Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fur-bearing animals : a monograph of North American Mustelidae, in which an account of the wolverene, the martens or sables, the ermine, the mink and various other kinds of weasels, several species of skunks, the badger, the land and sea otters, and numerous exotic allies of these animals, is contributed to the history of North American mammals / by Elliott Coues. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Schedule of differential characters of the North American Contiaued. Anteorbital foramen bounded by stout process, presenting more or less vertically Aperture of nares in two planes, approaching the vertical and hori- zontal one plane, or nearly so, more or less oblique... Auditory bullse at maximum of inflation, with shortest and least tubular meatus much inflated, with moderate constriction into the tubular meatus little inflated, much constricted across the meatus. Mastoids little developed, outward or backward more developed, outward much developed, downward Periotic region contracted, bringing paroccipitals close to auditory bullae expanded, removing paroccipitals from bullae, and horizontal expanded, removing paroccipitals from bullae, very oblique Glenoid fossae shallow, open, without anterior ledge, presenting more forward than downward, never locking condyles... moderately deep and close, with anterior ledge pre- senting downward-forward, never locking con- dyles very deep and close, with strong anterior and pos- terior ledges, sometimes locking condyles Coronoid process of jaw in profile conical, erect, apex forward of condyle obtusely falcate, sloping, apex overhanging condyle Lower border of jaw straightish from symphysis to posterior angle. usually ascending posteriorly, in straight or concave line Toes scarcely or not webbed, with ordinary ratio of lengths fully webbed, with ordinary ratio of lengths those of the hind feet elongated, with extraordi- nary ratio of lengths Pore claws long, stout, little curved, highly fossorial moderate or short, curved and acute, not fossorial Body very stout; size very large; tail bushy, short; appearance somewhat bear-like rather slender or extremely so; size medium and small; tail long, terete stout; size medium and small; tail long, very bushy stout, much depressed; size medium ; tail short, distichous — stout, cylindrical; size large ; tail long, conical, close-haired... Habits chiefly terrestrial terrestrial and highly arboreal , strictly terrestrial and more or less fossorial aquatic (fluviatile, lacustrine, or maritime) aquatic (marine) Such a table as this might be iudefiiiitely continued, but the foregoing analysis of leading differential characters suffices for present purposes.