FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM ZOOLOGY, VOL. III. 



size the raccoon is very variable everywhere, even among adults, 

 and little dependence can be placed upon size as a character. 

 To show this, a small table of measurements is here given of 

 my Florida specimens, and of Mr. Bangs' type, and of others 

 from northern localities, typical P. lotor: 



It will thus be seen that while none of the typical P. lotor speci- 

 mens equal Bangs' type, one or two come very near it; but none 

 of the Florida specimens approach it at all in size ; the largest, 

 Mr. Surber's "timber coon," (No. 7,) being considerably smaller. 

 The New Berlin examples are very adult, the one whose measure- 

 ments are given last but one (No. 10), having the molar series 

 worn smooth. Bangs does not say if his type is one of his largest 

 specimens, or if it is of an average size. If it is the latter, then 

 the raccoons south of New Berlin must grow larger than those in 

 that locality. Among the cranial characters given are "never 

 so abruptly constricted behind postorbital process," and "frontal 

 region higher and more arched." The Florida skulls before me 

 vary greatly, and the postorbital constriction and height of 

 frontal region are by no means alike among them. Two of the 

 smaller skulls have no postorbital processes and differ from 

 the rest in this respect. The frontal region in them all is high 

 and arched, but this "character" is nearly equalled by the skull 

 of the example from Black Mountain, W. Va. (No. 3), whose 

 measurements are given in the table. There is more differ- 

 ence between the skulls of the large and small examples from New 

 Berlin than there is between those of No. 7 and Virginia speci- 

 mens, and it would seem that if there is a subspecies of P. lotor 



