28 Zoology of Colorado 



to raid melon patches. According to Warren the young number 

 three to six. These animals are not often seen in Colorado, on 

 account of their nocturnal habits, but are widely distributed. 

 Mr. Warren informs me that they are rare south of the Arkansas- 

 Platte divide. 



The ring-tail, family Bassariscidae, is somewhat related to 

 the raccoon, but is easily known by the more slender body, and 

 the annulated tail as long as the body. It has been found in 

 Mesa, Montrose and San Miguel Counties. Its scientific name 

 is Bassariscus astutus. Originally the genus was named Bassaris, 

 but as this name had earlier been given to an insect, Dr. Coues 

 in 1887 altered it to Bassariscus* 



The large family Mustelidae is divided into a series of sub- 

 families; Mustelinae for the martens, weasels and minks; Gulon- 

 inae for the wolverenes; Lutrinae for the otters; Mephitinae for 

 the skunks; and Taxidiinae for the American badgers. The last 

 two subfamilies are exclusively American, and the existing genera 

 are known to be as old as the Pleistocene. The other three 

 groups are represented by genera which occur on both sides of 

 the world in northern regions, the weasels and otters also reaching 

 South America. The otters are of course aquatic, feeding on 

 fish ; they are very rare in Colorado. Lutra is the genus to which 

 the otter belongs, and consequently Wagner in 1841 gave the 

 name Lutreola, little otter, to the semi-aquatic mink. It is how- 

 ever so far from being an otter that it belongs with the weasels, 

 and in Miller's classification (1924) Lutreola is made a subgenus 

 of Mustela. Its webbed toes and naked soles of the feet are 

 adaptations to aquatic life; but the teeth agree with the weasels, 

 and the skull is not broadened as in the otter. Warren says 

 that the mink "is found all through Colorado wherever there is 

 sufficient water, ranging up to between 9,000 and 10,000 feet at 

 least. It is quite common in many places, being found along the 

 plains streams as well as in the mountains." 



The typical weasels, stoats and ferrets constitute the genus 

 Mustela in the more restricted sense. There is unfortunately 



*When a generic name has been previously used in zoology, it is said to be a homonym, 

 and a new name must be provided. It is not now customary to make any change if the name 

 has only been used previously for a plant, though it may be inconvenient to use the same name 

 for both. Thus a certain bee, called Prosopis, may visit the flowers of the mesquite, also 

 called Prosopis, 



