The Weasels of Eastern North America. 19 



Putorius fuscus And. and Bach., Quad. N. Am., Ill, p. 184, pi. 140, 1853. 

 Mustela pusilla DeKay, Zool. New York, I, p. 34, plate XIV, fig. I, 1842. 

 Putorius vulgaris var. Americana Gray, P. Z. S., p. 113, 1865; Cat. Car- 



nivora British Mus., p. 91, 1869. 

 Putorius (Gale) erminea Coues, Fur-Bearing Animals, p. 109, 1877 (in 



part). 



Type locality. Eastern United States. 



Geographic distribution. Northeastern North America from Long Island 

 and Connecticut north to Labrador and Newfoundland, west at least to 

 Minnesota (Fort Snelling and Elk river), and probably following the 

 transcontinental forest belt nearly, if not quite, across the continent ; in 

 habits the whole of the Hudsonian, Canadian, and Transition zones. 



P. ricliardsoni cicognani is the characteristic weasel of northeastern 

 North America and the only one occupying a large area in the Canadian 

 and Hudsonian zones. It extends south to the southern limit of the 

 Transition zone, but no farther. It begins to overlap the range of P. nove 

 boracensis in the lower Canadian zone, and thence southward gradually 

 becomes rarer as noveboracensis becomes commoner, until it disappears 

 altogether in the valley of the lower Hudson. I have never seen a speci 

 men from any point farther south. All through Connecticut, Massachu 

 setts, New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont both species occur 

 together. 



General characters. Size small ; tail short, a little more than one-fourth 

 of the total length tipped with black ; feet large and broad. 



Color. Summer pelage : Upper parts rich, dark brown, varying from 

 Front's brown to almost seal brown, examples in fresh pelage sometimes 

 having the peculiar purplish tone of seal brown ; ear often bordered by a 

 narrow white margin (not a lingering of the white coat, as I have often 

 seen it in the young that had never changed to the white winter dress), 

 which in worn midsummer specimens usually disappears. Southern 

 specimens are rather darker, as a rule, than northern ones. Under parts 

 usually pure silvery white in the more southern examples, but sometimes 

 tinged with greenish yellow in specimens from Newfoundland and Labra 

 dor. The line of demarkation between colors of upper and under parts 

 is high up, straight, unbroken, and very distinct, owing to the great con 

 trast in color. Occasionally a specimen can be found with one or more 

 irregular spots of brown on the chest and belly. The color of the under 

 parts covers the under sides of the arms and hands and the inside of the 

 legs and the toes. Upper lips always white ; tail same color as back, 

 both above and below, with a short black tip, which, including the pencil, 

 occupies about one-third of the tail ; under fur about the same color 

 as the long hair. Winter pelage : Pare white all over, with usually a 

 strong yellowish tinge on the hindquarters, tail, and belly ; end of tail 

 for a little more than the pencil, jet black; coat long and full; feet 

 heavily furred. The change to a white winter pelage takes place over 

 the entire range of the subspecies. In Connecticut P. ricliardsoni cicognani 

 always turns white in winter, while P. noveboracensis never does. 



It is rather curious that in changing back to the brown summer coat 

 in spring (the change taking place in March or April, according to locality) 



