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The Journal of Heredity 



c. Female; fur white, eyes pink with 

 distinct narrow pencil line of pig- 

 ment around the inner and outer 

 margins of the iris. The skin on the 

 nose, e>elids and soles of the feet 

 was pink. Captured about 5 miles 

 from region where mutant b was 

 found. Purchased from same source 

 and at same time as mutant b. 

 Fig. 5. 



d. Female; fur white, eyes pink. The 

 skin on the nose, eyelids, and soles of 

 the feet was pink. Reported to us on 

 March 4, 1916 by L. P. Jarrett, 

 Oxford, Mich., as being captured in 

 vicinity. Purchased for experimen- 

 tal breeding. 



e. Unknown sex; fur white, eyes 

 pink. Reported to us for sale by 

 owner, J. S. Daigneault of "Le 

 Renard Noir, Limite," Marieville, 

 Quebec, on Feb. 2, 1915. 



f. Male; fur white, eyes pink. Re- 

 ported to us for sale by C. C. 

 Garland, President of Garland 

 Zoological Co., Oldtown, Me., on 

 January 28, 1918. 



g. Male; fur white, eyes pink. The 

 skin on the nose, eyelids, and soles 

 of the feet was pink. Sold to us by 

 L. P. Jarrett of Oxford, Mich., 

 January 1, 1918. Captured by a 

 trapper in same general region as 

 mutants a and d. 



h, i, and j. Male and two females; seal 

 brown fur, pigmented eyes. Strip- 

 ing similar to normal skunk. Re- 

 ported to us for sale by J. M. 

 Bray, Schwenkville, Pa., Feb. 17, 

 1915. Hair samples from these were 

 obtained. These mutants were 

 caught 10 to 15 miles apart in 

 Chester and Montgomery counties, 

 Penna. 



k and 1. Unknown sex; two all black 

 individuals obtained by J. M. 

 Bray, Schwenk\-ille, Pa., and re- 

 ported to us for sale on February 

 17, 1915. 



Mephitis htulsonica 



m. Male; fur white, eyes pink. Cap- 

 tured in Fargo, North Dakota, and 

 sold to us Nov. 20, 1915. 



n, and o. Male and female; fur seal 

 brown, eyes pigmented, striping 

 normal. Reported to us by L. F. 

 Brash, Newark, South Dakota, for 

 sale July 19, 1916. Hair samples 

 received . 

 Summarizing, we may say that twelve 

 mutations ha\e been discovered in M. 

 pndita and three in M. hiidsojiica. 

 Mutations are e\idently fairl>' frequent 

 in this genus. All of the so-called mu- 

 tants may not be original mutants, but 

 simple segregates cropping out after 

 the original mutant (probably a hetero- 

 zygous mutant) had been breeding in a 

 given vicinity. For example, several 

 mutants, (a, d, and g) of the pure 

 albinic type were reported from the 

 region of, Oxford, Michigan. The 

 mutations are not restricted to one 

 general region for we find them in 

 Pennsvlvania, Maine, Michigan, North 

 and South Dakota, and Quebec. There 

 were five distinct types of mutation: 



1. self-black; mutants k and 1. 



2. seal brown with white stripes; 

 mutants h, i, j, n and o. 



3. black eyed white; mutant b. 



4. white with a small amount of pig- 

 ment in eyes; mutant c. 



5. pure albino; mutants a, d, e, f, g 

 and m. 



Some of these mutants have been 

 described previously (Detlefsen '16).° 

 All of these cases of mutations are 

 unquestioned, since the data are based 

 upon animals we have either seen or pur- 

 chased, or upon descriptions (with hair 

 samples when possible) from reliable 

 sources, dealers or trappers with whom 

 the junior writer has carried on exten- 

 sive business transactions for years. We 

 have several other records, some from 

 reliable sources but with very meagre 

 descriptions, and some from less trust- 

 worthy sources. For example we have 

 a record of a yellow type, but cannot 

 determine whether it is really yellow, 

 or cream, or simply a discolored white. 

 Whenever pecuniary- inducements are 

 offered, it seems to stimulate the hunt 

 for mutations; in fact we were inclined 

 to believe at one time it hastened their 



» Detlefsen, J. .\., 1917. Anat. Rtc, \ol. 11, No. 6, p. 502. 



