Mar. 1899. MAMMALS OF THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS ELLIOT. 269 



neying through the mountains, but it was rather difficult to trap. 

 Specimens vary somewhat in color, some being much darker than 

 others, and not infrequently one fore foot would have considera- 

 ble white displayed, while the other would be unicolor, like the 

 back. All examples procured were in full summer pelage. It 

 appeared to be more abundant than the preceding species. 



Four specimens: Johnson's Ranch, Elwah River, i; Boulder 

 Creek, i; Happy Lake, i; Boulder Lake, i. 



25. Mephitis foetulenta sp. nov. 



General characters: In its outward appearance this species 

 resembles M. spissigrada, Bangs, from British Columbia, but dif- 

 fers in the notched palate, the much shorter basi-occipital and 

 other characters of the skull. From M. occidentalisoi California, 

 while the crania of the two species agree in structure, the longer 

 known animal is at once separated by its wholly black tail. M. 

 fatulenta seems to be between the two with characters 'of each. 



Color: Black. Narrow line between the eyes, nauchal patch, 

 stripe to shoulders, and two lateral stripes, being the division of 

 shoulder stripe, extending to end of tail, white or yellowish- 

 white, the purity of the hue being a varying quantity. Towards 

 the terminal portion the white extends over the entire width of 

 the tail, and goes beyond the blunt black tip. Heels slightly 

 covered with hair; claws long, especially on front feet, white 

 with dark brown tips; claws of hind feet, dark reddish brown. 



Cranial characters: Size of skull about the same as that of M. 

 spissigrada. Pterygoid fossa much longer and basi-occipital 

 narrower posteriorly, and shorter from the edge of the foramen 

 magnum to its junction with the basi-sphenoid. Posterior edge 

 of palate has a small notch at its center. Posterior portion of 

 parietals constricted, and with an abrupt slope to the squamosal. 

 Nasals longer and narrower than those of M. spissigrada, and the 

 auditory bullce larger both transversely and antero-posteriorly. 

 Occiput to anterior end of nasals, 70 mm.; nasals, 18; zygo- 

 matic width, 47; mastoid breadth, 40; length of pterygoid fossa, 

 16; basi-occipital, 12. 



Type from the Lagune, near Port Angeles, Clallam County, 

 Washington. 



This skunk, which seems to be intermediate of the species 

 found to the north and south of the Olympics, and possesses 

 characters pertaining to each, is very abundant in the lower 

 parts of the mountains, and the territory down to the sea. 



