Despite our growing knowledge of the relationships of Pliocene
faunas of Asia and North America, relatively few cases are on record in
which a given mammalian genus has been found to occur in both continental
areas. It is a matter of considerable interest therefore, to discover
in the collections of fossil mammals obtained by the California
Institute in the Kern River Pliocene deposits of California, a mustelid
that resembles closely Eomellivora wimani, described by Zdansky from
the red clays of the provinces of Honan and Shansi, China. Indeed, so
similar are these two forms that an examination of our specimen, in the
light of Zdansky's description and good illustrations of the Chinese
material, makes it difficult to establish any very noteworthy differences
on which to base a specific distinction