204 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



much as they seem to suggest the existence therein of a 

 local race, characterised by smaller size, longer tail and ears, 

 and certain cranial differences. The series is, however, 

 hardly long enough to be thoroughly convincing, hence I 

 think it best to publish the details in the " Annals of Scottish 

 Natural History," in the hope that some other zoologist 

 may find an opportunity of investigating the matter. 



As far as the series which I have examined goes, the Jura 

 Stoats are more distinct from ordinary British Stoats than 

 are those of Islay : their short broad rostral region and 

 short small auditory bullae are noticeable. The Islay 

 specimens agree in the later particular, but are larger. 



At the end of this note follow the details of the dimen- 

 sions of the whole series. I give also for comparison a set 

 of dimensions for Stoats taken on the mainland of Britain. 

 A comparison of the two will at once show that whereas 

 the examples from the Islands have a mean head-and-body 

 length not reaching the minimum for those of the mainland, 

 yet they exceed the mean in length of tail and about equal 

 it in length of ear, and this applies to both sexes. The 

 occurrence of a somewhat stunted race of Stoats with rather 

 large ears would seem to be a not unexpected feature of 

 an island if food were scarce, and good hearing an important 

 adjunct to the capture of a scanty prey, but whether or no 

 this is true for these Islands I must leave Scottish naturalists 

 to instruct me. The extra length of tail is an item not 

 easily explained. 



I must conclude with my thanks to the editors of this 

 journal for their courtesy in publishing this note, and to 

 the authorities of the British Museum of Natural History 

 and the Zoological Museum at Cambridge, to whom I am 

 indebted for the opportunity of examining the specimens. 

 The Jura stoats were all presented to the latter museum by 

 the late Mr. Henry Evans, so recently removed by death 

 from the ranks of Scottish naturalists. 





