82 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD 



animal's fur is brown with white underparts, but in winter the 

 coat changes to white. The tip of the tail is always black. The 

 ermine is found in northern Japan and Sakhalin. 



The Pygmy Weasel {Mustela rixosa) is the smallest of the 

 carnivores. The head and body length is about six inches, 

 the tail about one and one-half inches. Like the ermine, this 

 weasel turns white in winter ; the tip of the tail is never black. 

 Pygmy weasels or closely related forms occur in parts of North 

 America, Asia, and Europe. They are found too in the Aleu- 

 tians, Kurile Islands, and Japan. 



The Java Weasel {Mustela lutreolina) could be mistaken in 

 size and color for our American mink. Its shorter hair, usual 

 in tropical animals, distinguishes it. Though it is believed to be 

 confined to Java, it may be found in Sumatra as well. 



The Bare-footed Weasel (Mustela nudipes) of Sumatra and 

 Borneo is about the size of the mink. Its color is pale orange- 

 brown, paler on the head. The tail is rather bushy. 



The Oriental Weasel (Mustela siberica) is similar to the 

 bare-footed weasel but the soles between the foot pads are hairy. 

 It is found throughout eastern Asia from Siberia to southern 

 China and in Japan and Formosa. The pelts of this weasel, 

 dyed a dark color, are known in the fur trade as Japanese 

 mink and kolinsky. 



The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is found in the northern districts 

 of North America, Europe, and Asia, including the forests of 

 Sakhalin. Its dark brown fur is marked with two paler stripes 

 which begin at the shoulders and pass along the sides of the 

 body to meet again at the tail. The wolverine is about three and 

 one-half feet long and weighs nearly thirty pounds. 



The Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) is represented in Japan 

 by a race somewhat darker than the typical European form. 

 Its coat is dark gray. The nose, a stripe down the forehead, 

 the lower face, the ears, throat, and chest are whitish. The 

 badger is about three feet in length, including the tail which 

 is about eight inches long. 



