lections made by two other travellers, Herr Maximowicz,[1] a botanical collector in the employ of the Imperial Botanical Gardens of St. Petersburg, who was also travelling in that country, from 1854 to 1856; and Herr Maack, who made an expedition from Transbaikalia, in 1855, to the mouth of the Amoor, and back.
We shall now proceed to consider the species of Mammals thus ascertained to be inhabitants of Amoorland, in the order in which Herr von Schrenck has arranged them in the first volume of his work, adding a notice of the most important facts which he has recorded concerning each of them. In some cases, it will be observed, the names have been inserted on the faith of Pallas and older explorers, and the results arrived at are purely of a negative character.
1. Ursus arctos.—The bear of the Amoorland is referable to the varietas Beringiana of Middendorf, which occurs on the coasts of the Sea of Ochotsk, but is not specifically separable from the European Ursus arctos. Temminck's statement that the bear of Jesso and Sachalin is U. ferox (the Grizzly Bear of North America) is erroneous.
2. Ursus maritimus.—The Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, was not recognized by the natives as found on the coast of the continent, or of the island of Sachalin, though Siebold has stated that he received indications of its occasional occurrence on the shores of the Japanese province Jetsigo.
3. Meles taxus.—A darker and more yellowish variety (amurensis) of the Badger of Amoorland, was found to be connected, on an examination of a series of eight examples, with the European Meles taxus. Yon Schrenck thinks that the Japanese Meles anakuma of Temminck is probably nothing more than a further variety of the same species.
4. Gulo borealis presents the same variation of coloration as in Europe.
5. Mustela zibellina.—The Sable is much sought after here, as elsewhere, for its fur, but is still met with in all parts of Amoorland. Von Schrenck suspects that Temminck's M. brachyura is only a variety of this very valuable animal, founded upon an imperfect skin.
6. Mustela martes.—Pallas' statement ("Spicilegia Zoologica," xiv., p. 57) of the occurrence of this Marten in Amoorland was not confirmed.
7. Mustela sibirrica, P.allas.—Spread over the whole country.
8. Mustela erminea.—Also common over the whole of Amoorland.
9. Mustela vulgaris.—Only one example obtained, and certainly much rarer than the ermine.
10. Lutra vulgaris.—The otter is found throughout the country, but nowhere common, being much sought after by the natives for its fur, which is highly prized by the Mandshurians and Chinese. Lutra chinensis, Gray, L. indica, Gray, and Lutra nair, F. Cuvier, are suspected to be only varieties of the same species.
- ↑ The results of this gentleman's expedition are published in the Memoirs of the Imperial Academy, under the title "Primitiæ Floræ Amurensis," vol. ix., p. 1, et seq.
