The Weasels of Eastern North America. 11 



umber in a specimen from Osceola, Florida (No. 7929, coll. Am. Mus. 

 Nat. Hist.), other skins varying between these two extremes ; some white 

 hair on the forehead and behind the eyes, varying in amount in different 

 specimens, from large and well denned white markings in the type* to 

 only a few hairs in the Osceola skin ; a conspicuous patch of long white 

 hair in front of opening of ear ; under parts pale yellow (primrose yellow 

 to pale buff yellow) ; line of demarkation between colors of upper and 

 under parts high up and rather irregular. The color of the under parts 

 covers under side of arms and whole of hands and extends down inside 

 of legs, covering toes and inside half of upper surface of feet ; upper lips 

 and chin and under side of head back as far as the jaw white ; tail same 

 color as back, gradually shading to black at the tip, with a short black 

 pencil ; no seasonal change in color. 



Size. The size of the male of this weasel is a matter of doubt. An old 

 adult breeding female from Tarpon Springs (No. 2379, coll. of S. N. 

 Rhoads) measures: total length, 374; tail, 127; pencil, 20; hind foot, 

 44.5 (measured in flesh by W. S. Dickinson). f 



Skull. ^ The skull of P. peninsulas is quite different in many particulars 

 from that of any other weasel I have examined, but clearly places the 

 species in the longicauda group. It is large and massive, developing a 

 strong sagittal crest with age; brain case very large and deep (viewed 

 from above triangular with the great construction back of postorbital 

 process and breadth across the mastoids of all the longicauda group); 

 postorbital processes well developed; inflated squamosal more reduced 

 than in any of our species, not excepting longicauda ; audital bullse ex 

 tremely large, broad, and deep ; mandible short and very heavy. 



The dentition is much heavier throughout than in other species of 

 about the same size, with the exception of the last upper molar, which is 

 smaller. For instance, the old adult skull from Tampa bay, although 

 smaller than male skulls of noveboracensis or longicauda of the same age, 

 shows all the teeth to be actually larger, except the last upper molar, which 

 is smaller than in either of these species. 



Remarks. Mr. Rhoads first described this remarkable weasel 

 from a single unsexed skin, accompanied by the rostral portion 

 of the skull and the whole lower jaw. He considered the speci 

 men an adult female. It probably is a female, as it is about the 

 size of the Tarpon Springs specimen, but is far from adult, as 

 shown by the fact that the sutures are still plainly visible and 

 the teeth unworn. One of the characters he gives is the position 

 of the lower incisors, which are so crowded as to throw the second 



*In the type these markings may be exaggerated by albinism, as it has 

 a large, irregular white spot in the middle of the back and a white line 

 on top of the head between the ears, a place where albinism in mammals 

 usually shows itself. 



fThe measurements of the type taken from the dried skin, and there 

 fore unreliable, are : total length, 375 ; tail vertebrae, 100 ; hind foot, 40. 



