412 



CARNIVORA 



9. Seville. {Dr. A. Ruiz.) Lord Lilford (p). 95. 3. 3. 10. 



{Type of sub-species.) 



6. Jerez. A. Chapmau (c&p). 9. 4. 24. 1. 



1. Alcochete, Portugal. Lisbon Museum (e). 3.11.13.1. 

 c5. Muro, Majorca, Balearic 0. Thomas (p). 1. C. 1. 5. 



Islands. {M. Riutort.) 



2. Inca, Majorca. 0. Thomas and R. I. 0. 7. 1. 7-8. 



Pocock (c & p). 



9. Mahon, Minorca. 0. Thomas (p). 0. 8. 13. 1. 



MUSTELA AFRICANA Desmarest. 



1818. Musfela africana Desmarest, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., xix, p. 376 



(" Africa "). 

 1895. Putorius africanus Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 128 (Malta 



and Egypt). 

 1900. Putorius nivaUs africanus Barrett-Hamilton, Ann. and Mag. Nat. 



Hist., 7th ser., v, p. 47, January, 1900. 

 1908. ? P[uforius~} nivalis var. corsicamis Cavazza, Ricerche sui "Putorius 



nivalis" e sui "Putorius ermineus " d' Italia, Bologna, p. 37 



(Corsica). 

 1910. Putorius (Ictis) nivalis suhpalmatus Trouessart, Faune Mamm. 



d'Europe, p. 85. 



Type locality. — Said to be Africa (no exact locality stated), 

 but more probably the Azores, as the type came to Paris through 

 the museum of Lisbon, Portugal. 



GeograpMcal distribution. — Egypt, Malta, San Thome, Azores. 



Diagnosis. — Like Mustela nivalis hoccamela but larger (hind 

 foot of male, 44 to 49 mm., condylobasal length of skull, 48 to 

 50 mm.), tail relatively longer (nearly half as long as head and 

 body) and brovi^n of sides usually spreading on undei'parts, the 

 line of demarcation very irregular. 



Colour. — The colour does not differ noticeably from that of 

 3Iustela nivalis hoccamela. Upper parts wood-brown, in some 

 specimens clear and light, in others dark and strongly tinged 

 with raw-umber, the head usually concolor with body but 

 sometimes distinctly darker. Tail concolor with back above, 

 not so dark below, the pencil usually darker than rest of tail 

 and occasionally blackish. Underparts pale cream-buff or buffy 

 white, the light area on chest and belly much encroached on by 

 brown of sides, which occasionally passes completely across, 

 leaving only a few spots of white. Muzzle and upper lip entirely 

 brown, or with a trace of white in front. 



Skull and teeth. — The skull resembles that of Mustela nivalis 

 hoccamela so closely that I can detect no characters others than 

 its larger size by which it can be distinguished. In size it fully 

 equals ordinary skulls of M. erminea ; but the much broader 

 rostrum as compared with interorbital region serves at once to 

 distinguish it. The teeth show no tangible characters by which 

 they may be differentiated from those of M. n. hoccamela except 

 that the carnassial is more robust and the small premolars in 



