6 Bangs The Weasels of Eastern North America. 



The next paper of importance is Allen's list of the k Mammals 

 of Massachusetts ' (1869). Allen degraded all the species of pre 

 vious authors and lumped all our weasels under the names 

 Putorius erminea and Putorius vulgaris, allowing P.frenatus to stand 

 as a doubtful form. 



In 1877 appeared Coues' Fur-bearing Animals. In this work 

 the author recognized four weasels in the whole of North America, 

 namely, vulgaris, erminea, longicauda, and brasiliensis frenatus. 

 This arrangement has been followed by most subsequent authors. 



The species of the subgenus Gale inhabiting eastern North America may 

 be arranged in three groups as follows : 



1. Skull large and heavy, much constricted 

 just back of postorbital processes, and develop 

 ing a strong sagittal crest ; postorbital processes 

 well developed; inflated squamosal much re 

 duced Neogale Gray.* 



Name of species. Type locality. 



Putorius longicauda (Bonaparte) Carlton House, Saskatchewan. 



longicauda spadix subsp. nov. . . .Fort Snelling, Minn. 



brasiliensis frenatus (Licht.) Valley of Mexico. 



peninsulas Rhoads Hudson's, Pasco Co., Fla. 



2. Skull of male developing sagittal crest; 

 that of female smooth. Inflated squamosal 

 much more reduced in the male than in the 

 female ; postorbital processes well developed in 

 both sexes. 



noveboracensis Emmons Massachusetts. 



3. Skull light and smooth, not sharply con 

 stricted back of postorbital processes ; develop 

 ing only very slight sagittal crest ; postorbital 

 processes not well developed; inflated squamosal 



large and much inflated Gale Wagner. 



richardsoni (Bp.) Fort Franklin, Great Bear lake. 



richardsoni cicognani (Bp.) Eastern United States. 



rixosas sp. nov Osier, Saskatchewan. 



KEY TO THE WEASELS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA (IN SUMMER PELAGE). 



Pelage coarse and harsh. 



Tail less than half as long as head and body ; a tuft of 

 white hairs in front of ear and sometimes an indistinct 

 white patch on forehead peninsulas. 



*Xeogale was proposed by Gray for the bridled weasels on account of 

 the peculiar black and white facial markings. P. longicauda also belongs 

 to this group, which is almost worthy of subgeneric rank. 





