The Assogue (Putorius Jiibernicus) : A 

 Peculiar British Mammal. 



ALTHOUGH several birds, recognised either as species or sub- 

 species, are peculiar to the British Islands, no mammal has 

 hitherto been considered sufficiently distinct from its Continental allies 

 to deserve a peculiar name. Therefore, although notices of mere new 

 species do not, as a rule, lie within the province of Natural Science, 

 the recent discovery 1 that a well-known member of the Irish fauna 

 represents a distinct species peculiar to that island seems worth a 

 passing reference, especially as by the kindness of my colleague, 

 Mr. A. Gepp, its characteristics can be so well illustrated as they are 

 on the accompanying Plate iv. 



This plate shows half a dozen specimens each of the Stoat, the 

 Assogue, and the Weasel, those of the Irish animal being all that 

 were available when the photograph was taken, and the others being 

 picked at random from large series of each species, without any 

 conscious selection to prove special points. 



Briefly put, the differences between the three forms are as 

 follows : 



Stoat (Putorius ermineus). — Top row of plate. 



Size large; colour-distribution (in summer dress) per- 

 fectly constant ; the light of the under surface covering the 

 upper lips, the whole breadth of the throat, chest, and belly, 

 and the inner sides of the limbs, and running on to the fingers 

 and toes ; line of demarcation between colours, straight and 

 regular ; rims of ears white ; tail long black-tipped. 

 Assogue (P. hibernicus). — Middle row. 



Size medium ; colour-distribution very variable, but the 

 white always much reduced in extent, not extending on to the 

 upper lip, narrowed, or even interrupted, on the chest and 

 belly, and rarely extending on to the feet ; line of demarcation 

 between colours irregular ; rims of ears brown ; tail black- 

 tipped. 



1 See^Thomas and Barrett-Hamilton, Ann. Mag. N. H. (6), xv., p. 374, April, 

 and Zoologist (3), xix., p. 124, 1895. 



2 E 



