﻿478 
  PR0CEEDIN08 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM. 
  vol. 
  44. 
  

  

  Suhspecific 
  characters. 
  — 
  Size 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  forms; 
  colors 
  

   averaging 
  pale. 
  Skull 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  angular; 
  teeth 
  larger 
  than 
  in 
  

   any 
  existing 
  forms 
  except 
  nesolestes 
  and 
  lutensis. 
  

  

  Measurements 
  of 
  slculls. 
  — 
  Average 
  of 
  5 
  skulls 
  of 
  adult 
  males 
  from 
  

   Yukon 
  River, 
  Alaska: 
  Condylobasal 
  length, 
  74.8; 
  zygomatic 
  breadth, 
  

   44.4; 
  least 
  postorbital 
  constriction, 
  13; 
  mastoid 
  breadth, 
  39.5; 
  length 
  

   of 
  upper 
  molar-premolar 
  row, 
  18.9 
  mm. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  — 
  This 
  subspecies, 
  long 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  

   existing 
  minks, 
  grades 
  directly 
  into 
  M. 
  v. 
  lacustris 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  

   Mackenzie 
  Valley, 
  and 
  into 
  M. 
  v. 
  melampeplus 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alaska 
  Peninsula. 
  

  

  MUSTELA 
  MACRODON 
  (Prentiss). 
  

  

  1903. 
  Lutreola 
  macrodon 
  Prentiss, 
  Proc. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus., 
  vol. 
  26, 
  p. 
  887, 
  July 
  6. 
  

  

  1904. 
  [Putorius] 
  macrodon 
  Trouessart, 
  Cat. 
  Mamm., 
  Suppl., 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  206. 
  

  

  1911. 
  Lutreola 
  vison 
  antiquus 
  Loomis, 
  Amer. 
  Journ. 
  Sci., 
  vol. 
  31, 
  No. 
  183, 
  p. 
  228, 
  

   March. 
  (Flagg 
  Island, 
  Casco 
  Bay, 
  Maine.) 
  

  

  1912. 
  Mustela 
  macrodon 
  Miller, 
  Bull. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus., 
  No. 
  79, 
  p. 
  101, 
  Decem- 
  

   ber 
  31. 
  

  

  Type-locality. 
  — 
  Brooklin, 
  Hancock 
  County, 
  Maine. 
  

  

  Geographic 
  distribution. 
  — 
  Known 
  only 
  from 
  fragments 
  of 
  skeletons 
  

   and 
  teeth 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  "shell-heaps" 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine. 
  

  

  Specific 
  characters. 
  — 
  Size, 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  mink. 
  Skull 
  with 
  wide 
  

   rostrum, 
  largo 
  opening 
  of 
  anterior 
  narcs, 
  large 
  antorbital 
  foramina, 
  

   and 
  very 
  large 
  teeth. 
  

  

  Measurements. 
  — 
  Length 
  of 
  upper 
  molar-j^remolar 
  row 
  of 
  type- 
  

   specimen, 
  2 
  1 
  mm. 
  Measurements 
  of 
  a 
  right 
  mandibular 
  ramus 
  from 
  

   Lower 
  Babson 
  Island, 
  Maine 
  : 
  Length 
  (estimated), 
  48; 
  length 
  of 
  lower 
  

   molar-premolar 
  row, 
  24.6 
  mm. 
  

  

  Remarlcs. 
  — 
  The 
  skull 
  of 
  this 
  specjes 
  is 
  readily 
  distinguishable 
  from 
  

   skulls 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  subspecies 
  of 
  vison 
  by 
  its 
  large 
  size 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  much 
  

   larger 
  teeth. 
  The 
  difference 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  direct 
  comparison 
  or 
  

   measurements 
  are 
  unnecessary, 
  to 
  separate 
  it 
  from 
  all 
  existing 
  minlcs. 
  

  

  In 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream 
  for 
  August 
  15, 
  1903, 
  Manly 
  Hardy 
  gives 
  

   information 
  that 
  makes 
  it 
  seem 
  probable 
  that 
  Mustela 
  macrodon 
  

   did 
  not 
  become 
  extinct 
  until 
  about 
  1860. 
  Up 
  to 
  that 
  time 
  a 
  large 
  

   mink 
  from 
  coast 
  islands 
  was 
  recognized 
  as 
  a 
  distinct 
  form 
  by 
  ^'Ir. 
  

   Hardy's 
  father, 
  Mr. 
  Hardy 
  himself, 
  and 
  other 
  Maine 
  fur 
  buyers. 
  

   As 
  skins 
  of 
  this 
  giant 
  species 
  were 
  received 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  coast, 
  it 
  

   was 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  traders 
  as 
  the 
  "sea 
  mink." 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  

   large 
  size 
  it 
  brought 
  special 
  prices, 
  and 
  was 
  eagerly 
  sought 
  by 
  hunters 
  

   and 
  trappers. 
  Hardy 
  describes 
  it 
  as 
  "fully 
  twdce 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  the 
  

   mink 
  from 
  inland, 
  the 
  smallest 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  the 
  largest 
  

   inland 
  mink 
  and 
  the 
  largest 
  fully 
  twice 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  their 
  inland 
  rela- 
  

   tives 
  * 
  * 
  *. 
  The 
  fur 
  was 
  coarse 
  and 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  reddish 
  color 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  inland, 
  or 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  called, 
  the 
  'woods 
  mink,' 
  

  

  