28 REPORT ON ZOOLOGY, MDCCCXLIII. 



brown ; tip of the tail black. From California ; rather larger than M. erminea, 

 figured in the Voy. of Sulph. pi. 9, together with the head of IT. frenata. 

 M. brasUiensis, Scwast, might belong to the same species, and Seba's 

 N. javanica is probably the young state of it. 



Among the Weasels De Kay distinguishes three species. 

 (Nat. Hist. New York, i, p. 34.) 



Two of them, Mustela pusilla an&ftesca, he refers, from their dentition, to 

 the true Martens, the third Putorius noveboracensis to the Polecats. The 

 diagnosis of Mustela pusilla runs thus : " Colour the same as in P. novebora- 

 censis, in the summer coat, but less, not changing ; taill-4th the whole length. 

 Length 12 to 13 inches." Tail at the tip about a shade darker; teeth in 

 typical number. Not rare, probably identical with Richardson's M. vulgaris, 

 but not with that of Europe. Of M. fusca, Bachm., he says: "above 

 brown, beneath clear white ; tail l-5th the whole length ; feet with long 

 hairs ; length 12 inches." Putoritis noveboracensis is the species described 

 by other American zoologists as M. erminea ; the characters distinguishing 

 it from our Ermine are not stated. 



Sundevall (K. V. Acad. Handl. 1842, p. 215) remarks, 

 that the specimens of Mustela subpalmata sent from Cairo 

 entirely correspond with the description of M. Boccamela 

 given by Bonaparte. 



" In size and colour they do not differ from the Ermine, except in the 

 shorter tail, which is entirely of the same colour as the back, not having 

 black hairs even at the tip. The toes, as in all the Mustebe, are united by a 

 membrane. Body 10 inches long, tail 3 inches, with hairs, 4 inches." 

 Prom inspection of two specimens set up in the Vienna Museum, also from 

 Egypt, I have drawn out the following notice of this species : " very remark- 

 able from the wide hairy web between the toes, which are also thickly 

 covered with hair. Colour like that of the small Weasel, but the animal as 

 large as the Ermine. Colour a beautiful light ferruginous ; lower jaw (except 

 some pale spots), the whole of the throat and breast white, which colour runs 

 behind the forelegs in a narrow stripe along the belly, with which, however, 

 pale hairs are intermixed. Tail, outer sides of uniform colour, at the tip 

 dark ferruginous. Body 10| inches ; tail with hairs nearly 5 inches long." 

 It is probably identical with M. Africana, Desm. 



The species instituted by the Reporter : Rhabdogale mul- 

 tivittata has received certain confirmation by Sundevall. 



He names it (1. c. p. 212) Ictonyx frenata, with the definition, "lineis 

 ill u si nigris, anticc confusis ; fascia frontal!, eaput ambiente, labiisque 



