238 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELTD.E. 



cast, and l)etween the shoulders a small irregular black spot 

 appears, leading to tbe supposition that the white dorsal area 

 ill this species is liable to the same variations that are known 

 to exist in other speci s. In addition to this general white area, 

 a slight white lateral stripe starts independently over each 

 shoulder and is continued for a little distance along the sides — 

 in this specimen further on one side than on the other. The 

 frontal streak is short and slight. There is a white area 

 on the breast between the fore legs, prolonged backward as a 

 streak — it is probably not constant, but then I have never seen 

 any white on the under surface of M. mephitica! (compare 

 expression in Liun?eus's diagnosis of his Vlverra mempUltis of the 

 10th edition — "SM&^«6" ejc albo et nigro variegatus^''). The tail 

 is entirely and intimately mixed black and white — viewed from 

 below, we see chiefly hairs pure white at base and black at end, 

 from above, mixed white and black-and-white hairs, producing a 

 grizzled gray cast, and iu direct continuation of the dorsal stripe. 

 (This is exactly as given by Lichtenstein 5 Gray's description 

 gives the tail as black ; the variation is thus seen to be as iu 

 the allied species.) 



The dimensions of a dried but fairly well-stuffed specimen 

 are as follows: Nose to root of tail about 13 inches (Lichten- 

 stein says 14) : tail-vertebra3 nearly the same, but rather less 

 (13 inches — Licht.), the hairs in this instance under three inches 

 longer (5 inches — Liclit.). Fore foot 2 inches, of which the 

 longest claw is 0.65; hind foot 2.25. 



This species was supposed (but erroneously as far as known) 

 to inhabit the United States by Audubon and Bachman and by 

 Woodhouse, the animal described by these authors being simply 

 the common M. mephitica under one of its interminable color- 

 variations. 



The Subgenus SPILOGALE. (Gray.) 



The characters of this subgenus having been indicated on a 

 preceding page (p. 192), we may at once proceed to consider 

 the single known species. 



