is sold in the bazaars at Peshawur
and Lahore. In 1868 I bought sufficient to line a large overcoat,
which proved most comfortable in travelling in the cold weather in
the Punjab, as well as in subsequent wanderings on the European
continent in winter.

Dr. E. Coues, in his monograph on the North American Mustelidae,
gives the following interesting information regarding the number of
skins of various species sold by the Hudson's Bay Company in London
during the century 1769-1868:--

Sables, 1,240,511; otters, 674,027; wolverenes, 68,694; minks,
1,507,240; skunks, 218,653; badgers, 275,302; sea otters, 5349. In
1868, which appears to have been a prosperous year, the Company sold:
Sables, 106,254; otters, 14,966; wolverenes, 1104; minks, 73,473;
skunks, 6298; badgers, 1551; sea otters, 123.[8]

[Footnote 8: In the same year were sold by other firms, 22,000 otter
skins and 4500 sables. See Appendix _C_ for further statistics.]

When one considers the number of those whose skins are damaged and
cast aside, the number that fall victims to larger predatory animals,
and the operations of disease, from which no animals, small or great,
are free, we may form some idea of the immense multitude of these
little creatures.

The ordinary divisions of the restricted Mustelidae are the Martens
(_Martes_), Pole-cats (_Putorius_), and Weasels (_Mustela_), but
Gray has further subdivided them chiefly on the characteristics of
the feet.

The Martens have four more teeth than the rest, which are
distinguished as follows:--

_Putorius_.--Short ovate head; feet very hairy, especially between
the pads; body stout; underside blackish.

_Mustela_.--Narrow, elongated head; feet very hairy between the
pads; slender body; under-side yellow or white.

_Vison_.--Head elongate, narrow; feet slightly hairy; pads exposed;
body rather slender; under-side same colour as upper.

_Gymnopus_.--Head elongate, narrow; feet rather naked, bald beneath,
between, and rather behind the pads; toes largely webbed; soles hairy
behind; body slender.

It is doubtful whether these distinctions are of sufficient
importance to warrant so much subdivision; and unnecessary
multiplication of genera is a thing to be avoided as much as possible.

_GENUS MARTES--THE MARTENS_.

A more or less arboreal group of larger size, and possibly less
sanguinary habits than the weasels, although in this respect I do
not think there is much difference. The tail is longer,