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198 GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. [part IV.
caverns in many parts of Europe, and several extinct species
have been found in Tertiary deposits in Europe, North India,
and South America. Two species have been found so far back
as the Eocene of France, but the fragments discovered are not
sufficient to determine the characters with any certainty. In
North America, several species of Canis occur in the Pliocene of
Nebraska and La Plata. The genus Galecynus, of the Pliocene
of Qi^ninghen, and Palmocyon, of the Brazilian caves, are sup-
posed to belong to the Canidse. Ampldcyon abounded in the
Miocene period, both in Europe and North America ; and some
of the species were as large as a tiger. Other extinct genera
are, Cynodidis, Cyotherium, and Qaldhylax, from the Eocene
of France; Pseudocyon, Simocyon, and Hemicyon, from the
Miocene ; but all these show transition characters to Viverridse
or Ursidae, and do not perhaps belong to the present family.
Family 29.—MUSTELID^. (21-28 Genera, 92 Species.)
General Distribution.
Neotropical Nearctic Pal;earctic Ethiopian Oriental Australian
Sub-regions. Scb-regions. Sub-uegions. Sub-regions. Sdb-recions. Sub-regions.
1.2.3 1.2.3.4- 1.2.3.4 1 .2.3 — 1.2.3.4
The Mustelidse constitute one of those groups which range
over the whole of the great continental areas. They may be
divided into three sub-families—one, the MustelinaB, containing
the weasels, gluttons, and allied forms ; a second, the Lutrinas,
containing the otters ; and a third, often considered a distinct
family, the Melininse, containing the badgers, ratels, skunks,
ami their allies.
In the first group (Mustelinse) the genera Maries and
Putorius (13 species), range over all the Palsearctic region, and a
considerable part of the Oriental, extending through India to
Ceylon, and to Java and Borneo. Two species of Maries
{=Mustela of Baird) occur in the United States. The weasels,
forming the genus Mustela (20 species), have a still wider range,
extending into tropical Africa and the Cordilleras of Peru, but