MEPHITIS.—CONEPATUS. 83 
Mephitis bicolor, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd ser. i. p. 581 (1837, descr. orig.)’; Baird, Mamm. N. 
Am. p. 197"; Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. Surv. ii., Mamm. p. 21°. 
Mephitis zorilla, Lichenstein, Abh. Ak. Berl. 1836, pl. ii. fig. 2 (1838, descr. orig.) ; [nec Licht. 
Darst. neu. Saugeth. pl. xlii. fig. 2 (1834) ]*. . 
Lizquiepatl seu Vulpecula, Hernandez, De Quad. Nov. Hisp. fol. 6, cap. xviii. 
Hab. Nortu America, from Iowa southwards ?.—Mexico, Guanajuato (Dugés *), Yuca- 
tan (Gaumer, Mus. Boucard); Guatemaia (Godman & Salvin, Mus. Brit.). 
Linneeus’s diagnosis and his citation of Catesby leave no doubt that the Viverra 
putorius of his twelfth edition was primarily founded on this animal, though he evi- 
dently confounded other species in his description and references. This appears to me 
to be one of the cases in which zoologists are free either to retain or reject a Linnean 
name; and I have followed Dr. Coues in the former course, because a great deal of 
uncertainty and confusion of nomenclature is thereby avoided. 
A few years ago the Little Striped Skunk was only known as a native of Texas and 
California; but its range is now found to be much more extensive, reaching as far 
north as Iowa, if not to New York®. It is common in Florida; and Mr. Maynard 
informed Mr. Allen that “they are domesticated and used there as cats, the odour- 
glands being removed when the animals are young; they become very tame, and are 
quite efficient in destroying the mice (Hesperomys, sp.) that infest the houses” *. In 
Mexico Dr. Dugés met with this species in the State of Guanajuato ° ; M. Boucard has 
received it from Yucatan; and its range extends into Guatemala, where Messrs. 
Godman and Salvin obtained several specimens. Further south I have not been able 
to trace its existence. 
4, CONEPATUS. 
Conepatus et Marputius, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2,1. p. 581 (1837). 
Thiosmus, Lichtenstein, Abh. Ak. Berl. 1836, p. 270 (1838). 
The Neotropical type of Skunk differs from the Nearctic in having only two pre- 
molars above (in normal specimens), in its depressed and obliquely truncated snout in 
which the nostrils open forwards and downwards, in its broad feet with wholly naked 
soles, and its shorter and more closely-haired tail. 
Colour is at least as variable in this as in the last genus; but unfortunately we have 
not equal material to assist in discriminating between specific characters and individual 
variation. ‘There seems, however, to be little doubt that most of the described species 
(about sixteen in number) will have to be abolished, and still less that one only has 
yet been found north of the Isthmus of Panama. In it the broad white dorsal band 
may or may not be partially divided by a median black stripe; in the former case the 
* 
* Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. ii. p. 169. 
M2 
