26 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 75 



National Museum from any portion of Asia I deem it preferable to 

 make no attempt to name them for the present. 



MUSTELA SIBIRICA SIBIRICA Pallas 



Mustela sibirica Pai.las. Spifil. Zool., vol. 14, 1780, p. 8G (eastern Siberia). 



Specimiens. — Six: one each from Tientsin and Pekinu, Chihli; 2 

 from near Sianfu, Shensi; and 2 from near Taiyuanfn, Shansi. 



As with the other weasels, the nomenclature of the Chinese minks 

 is not easy of proper disposition, but the material at hand is ade- 

 quate to show that it is separable into four races. It is well known 

 that the brown summer pelage of these animals is very different from 

 the bright winter coat. Coloration seems to be quite uniform when 

 one has specimens in similar pelage from a single geographic area. 

 The difficulty is encountered when individuals in changing pelage 

 are to be allocated ; and there seems to be some little variation with 

 age. 



No undoubtedly typical specimens of sihhica are available and it 

 must therefore be presumed that the popular .supposition to the effect 

 that Shansi and Shensi material should be so identified is correct. 

 At any rate these skins are separable from the remainder of the 

 specimens on the grounds of pale winter coloration coupled with a 

 minimum of sootiness about the face and no black upon the feet (vs. 

 m^anchurica) . A summer skin from Shensi has a darker tail tip, 

 which is not found upon the one from Tientsin. 



MUSTELA SIBIRICA MOUPINENSIS (Milne-Edwards) 



Putorius moui>inensis Milne-Edwards, Rech. Mamm., 1872, p. 347 (Muping, 

 Szechwan, China). 



Specimiens. — Four from Szechwan ; Sungpan, 1, and Suifu, 3. 



Although October and December skins are represented these are 

 of the dark summer type of coloration, and the former is very much 

 worn. The tone is dark as in the Manchurian race but there is also 

 a definite darkening of the tail tip and the face is less distinctly sooty. 



Barrett-Hamilton gave the type locality of his Putorius sihiHcus 

 noctis as Sanyentze, China. I can not locate this on any map, but 

 the termination of the name would indicate that it is certainly in 

 Szechwan, and it is hence likely that he described merely the summer 

 pelage of moupinensis. 



MUSTELA SIBIRICA DAVIDIANA (Milne-Edwards) 



I'utoriuft davklianus Milne-Edwards, Nou\-. Arch. Mus., vol. 7, 1870, p. 92 

 ( Kiaugsi ) . 



Specimens. — Seven, from 20 miles east of Taipingfu, Anhwei, 1; 

 Yochow, Hunan, 4; Futsing, Fukien, 1; and Shanghai, Kiangsu, 1. 



