454 FELIS. 



ally, with marked declination forward from middle of nasals, 

 interfrontal region with a deep fossa, V-shaped on section, 8 mm. 

 in length, between the anterior extremity of the interfrontal suture 

 and the nasal bones, which latter are similarly infolded, continuing 

 the fossa forward to the extremity of the nasals as a groove which 

 gradually decreases in depth towards their extremity; orbit rela- 

 tively small; nasal bones narrow, elongate at sides, pointed poster- 

 riorly, where they are bent downward to form the anterior portion 

 of the frontal fossa; anterior narial opening high and narrow; infra- 

 orbital foramen single and round; interorbital region narrow; jugal 

 broad; posterior narial fossa wide, with a scarcely perceptible post- 

 palatal notch; audital bullae elongate, high, pointed anteriorly, 

 scarcely constricted laterally; sagittal and occipital crests moderately 

 developed; dentition heavy as compared with Felis apache." 



Measurements. " Basilar length of Hensel, 78; zygomatic breadth, 

 60; least interorbital breadth, 16; intertemporal breadth, 30; breadth 

 of braincase above auditory meatus, 42; palate, length from hense- 

 lion to posterior edge, excluding median notch, 33.7; greatest 

 diameter of orbit, 23 ; greatest length of nasal bone, 23 ; breadth of 

 nasal bones opposite end of nasal processes of frontals, 7 ; anterior 

 narial orifice, 14X12; breadth of jugal, 10; audital bulla, 20X12; 

 breadth between outer corner of carnassials, 37.2; breadth of pos- 

 terior nasal fossa, 13; front of upper canine to back of carnassial, 

 27.5; length of upper carnassial, 12.2; length of lower carnassial, 

 9.4." (Mearns, 1. c.)* 



B. Felis. 

 Tail half the length of body without head. Adults without spots. 



"\concolor oregonensis (Felix!}, Rafin., Atlantic Journ., i, 1832, No. 2, 



p. 62. 



hippolestes Merr., Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., xi, 1897, p. 219. 

 olympus Merr., Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., xi, 1897, p. 220. 

 hippolestes aztecus Merr., Proc. Wash. Acad. Scien., in, 1901, 



p. 592. 

 NORTHWESTERN PUMA. 



Type locality. Northwest coast. 



*It would be more satisfactory if, in a genus where there is so much varia- 

 tion in the species, the material by which this form has been differentiated 

 could have been more ample. 



fDr. Merriam has describe'd at various times sundry species and subspecies 

 of Puma, basing his distinctive characters upon size, color, and certain differ- 

 ences in the skull. As regards size, that is hardly worth considering as a spe- 

 cific character; for all cats vary so greatly in their dimensions, even from the 

 same locality, that no dependence can be placed upon measurements; and sex 

 and age, even among adults, have much influence on the size of an animal 



