E. LÖNNBERG, MAMMALOGY OF ECUADOR. 11 



A skull of an eld Puma witli much worn teeth collected 

 near Gualea at an altitude of 4,500 feet ^7-2 1915, looks 

 rather different from the female skull from Pichincba. It is 

 much longer with a condyloincisive lengtb of 153 ram but 

 its zygomatic breadtb is tbe same viz. Ill mm. Its forebead 

 is narrovver, only 28,6 mm, tbe nasals longer, viz. 3G,5 mm 

 mesially, tbe palate longer, 67 mm mesially from bindmargin 

 to tip of premaxillaries, against 62 mm in tbe Picbincba 

 specimen. Tbe meso-pterygoid fossa is narrower, 20,5 mm 

 against 22,i mm, but longer, 26,5 mm against 21,5 mm in 

 tbe Picbincba puma. Tbe bullae are also narrower witb 

 somewbat broader interspace. Tbe widtb of tbe braincase 

 is smaller viz. 65 mm against 69 mm in tbe female from 

 Picbincba. It is difficult to explain all tbis as only indivi- 

 dual variation, and it appears possible tbat anotber race of 

 Puma inbabits tbe lower slopes of tbe Andes. Perbaps is 

 tbis Puma concolor hangsi Merriam. 



Herpailurus yaguarondi^ 



A skull witbout skin and witbout definite locality appears 

 to belong to tbis genus and in consequence of its ratber 

 large size possibly to H. y. melayitlio Thomas from Peru. 

 Its^condylobasal lengtb is 107,5, zygomatic breadtb 63,8 mm. 

 It is comparatively jonwg witb open sutures. 



Mustela niacrura Taczanowski. 



7 ^^ ad., 2 ?? ad. and 1 ^ juv. from localities as 

 recorded below in tbe table of measurements. 



Tbis very valuable series gives a fair idea of wbat tbe 

 Weasels are like in tbe neigbbourbood of Quito. Tbe spe- 

 cimens are on tbe wbole similar, but some are a little paler 

 (n:s 2, 8 & 9) tban tbe otbers. Tbis paleness is not due to 

 tbe locality, because n:o 5 and n:o 8 are from tbe same 

 locality and tbe former is one of tbe darker and tbe latter 

 one of tbe paler. Tbe tbree palest are all caugbt in Aug. 

 and tbis may give a bint, tbat tbe colour is different at 

 different seasons. Undoubtedly, bowever, tbere is an amount 

 of individual variation witb regard to tbe sbade of colour 



