1893.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 113 



GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN BASSARISCUS ASTUTTJS, WITH 

 DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SUBSPECIES. 



By SAMUEL N. RHOA I »S 



The recent accession of three specimens of Bassariscus 1 to the 

 museum of the Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia 

 makes four individuals of the genus known to have heeen taken 

 in the State of Oregon. 



The first record was made by Dr. Goues in the American 

 Naturalist in 1878. This specimen was taken in southwest Oregon 

 on the Rogue River; the rest were captured by Mr. Geo. Kenzer 

 near Grant's Pass in Josephine County, a few years ago. They 

 were mounted by him, and, since arriving in Philadelphia, two of 

 them have been remounted and their skulls removed for examina- 

 tion. 



Antedating these, the most northern records, we have the state- 

 ment of George (Tib bs, Esq., in the Natural History of Washington 

 Territory, that in 1852 he "found their skins quite common on the 

 Lower Klamath River" but we have no positive evidence that any of 

 the skins were taken on that part of the Klamath River lying north 

 of California. 



The dark colors of the Rogue River specimen are commented on 

 by Dr. J. A. Allen in his paper "On the Species of the Genus 

 Bassaris"" as follows: "The extremes of variation in color are in 

 specimens No. 11,849 from Camp Grant, Arizona ( E. Palmer) and 

 No. 12,H49, from Oregon (A. H. Wood). The Arizona specimen is 

 pale brownish gray above, varied with blackish principally along 

 the median line, caused by the black tips of the long hair. Below, it 

 is pale yellowish white. The tail is mostly white below but above 

 is crossed by alternate rings of black and white of nearly equal 

 breadth. The Oregon specimen has the prevailing tint of the dorsal 

 region intense black, quite obscuring the brownish gray ground color. 

 Below, it is strongly brownish yellow, deepest on the throat and chin. 



1 Bassaris of Lichtenstein, 1827 (1830) preoccupied by Bassaris, Hubner 1816. 

 See Science, Vol. 9, 1*S7. V. 516. 

 -Art. XVIII Hull. U. S. Geol. Sur. Terr, 1879. 



