CHARACTERS OF PUTORIOUS ERMINEA. Ill 



ence of terrestrial Mammals. In America, south to very nearly the southern 

 border of the United States, but no specimens seen from the Gulf States, 

 New Mexico, Arizona, or Southern California. The range meets that of P. 

 hrasiliensis, which conducts the genus into South America. 



Specific characters. — Length of head and body 8-11, of tener 9-10 inches ; 

 of tail-vertebrie 2-5 inches, averaging 3^-4, only excei:)tionably passing the 

 tirst-named limits. Tail at all seasons brushy, conspicuously black-tipped 

 for ^^, generally about f, its total length. In summer, dull mahogany- 

 brown above, pale sulphury-yellow below ; in winter, in most regions pure 

 white all over except the black end of the tail, tinged in places with sul- 

 phury-yellow. Caudal vertebrae 17 or 18 (Gerrard). 



Discussion of specific characters and relationships. 



In entering upon the subject of the Ermines, the following 

 prcemonendttj which will be attempted to be proven in the 

 course of the article, will assist to an appreciation of the 

 points of the discussion : — 



1. The Ermines of Europe, Asia, and America are specifi- 

 cally identical. 



2. None of the supposed characters which have been relied 

 upon to separate them have any existence in nature except as 

 peculiarities of individual specimens examined. 



3. The American Ermines are of two forms according to size 

 alone, which in the extremes stand widely apart, but which 

 grade insensibly into each other. 



4. Within certain limits (to be hereafter defined), length of 

 the whole animal, length of tail, both absolutely and relatively 

 to that of body, and length of the black portion, either abso- 

 lutely or relatively to that of the tail, are utterly fallacious as 

 a means of specific diagnosis. 



5. No question of coloration, of stoutness of body, of shape 

 of ear, of furriness of feet, of character of pelage, and the like, 

 can enter into the question, since such details are proven fortui- 

 tous circumstances of sex, age, season, locality, or merely normal 

 individual variability. 



I have before me a considerable suite of specimens of the 

 Ermine, taken at various seasons in Great Britain, France, 

 Germany, Sweden, Siberia, and Kamtschatka, together with 

 an immense collection from all portions of North America 

 inhabited by the animal. I may therefore set forth my conclu- 

 sions w^ithout hesitation. The Ermine is the same animal in 

 Europe, Asia, ami America. Kespecting the various trivial and 

 insignificant distinctions which Gray and others have sought 

 to establish, upon obviously insufficient material and inadequate 



