390 Mr. G. E. II. Bavrett-IIamilton on some 



ear on each side, but not extending to the crown of tlie head, 

 are of the same colour. The underfur is yellowish buff. 



The dimensions of the hind foot and ear, taken from the 

 dried skin, are 61*5 and 19 mm. respectively. 



The dimensions of the skull are : — Greatest length QQ mm. ; 

 basal length 60; palatal length 31 ; zygomatic breadth 44. 



The Central-European polecat, on the other hand, has a 

 nearly white underfur, and the long outer hairs are nearly 

 black. The facial markings also are nearly white and the 

 two bands between the eyes and ears are carried upwards 

 until they meet and form a V-shaped mark, with the blunt 

 |)oint of the V lying on the forehead between the eyes pointing 

 anteriorly. 



This subspecies may be known as P. putorius manium. 

 I take as the type no. 2. 8. 4. 24 (a male), procured by 

 Mr. Zollikofer at Teufin, Apfenzell, Switzerland. 



The dimensions are: — Head and body 408 mm.; tail 

 (without end-hairs) 145; hind foot 62; ear 25. 



It seems probable that a paper by M. Drion, Jun.'^, in 

 which he distinguishes a yellow and a black race of polecat, 

 both existing in Belgium, but with different habits, habitat, 

 and character, was based upon the overlapping and inter- 

 grading of these or other continental races. M. Drion states 

 that in both of his races he found the male about one third 

 larger and stouter than the female, and the young dark iti 

 colour and hardly assignable to either form. 



The large weasel named by Pallas Mustela sibirica, and 

 which has a wide range in Siberia, seems to be divisible 

 into a number of subspecies. In this animal there is probably 

 a considerable difference between the summer and winter 

 coats, the former being some shade of brown, the latter of 

 yellow. I find two forms which cannot be identified with 

 any previously published description of any known subspecies. 

 These are : — 



Putorius sibin'cus noctis, subsp. n. 



Form as in P. sihiricus typicus. 



Coloration. Above near " vandyke-brown," shading grad- 

 ually without line of demarcation into a tint between " russet " 

 and " tawny olive " beneath ; the tail a shade lighter than the 

 brown of the upper surface, but with the tip darker. Anterior 



* Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Lett. Beaux-Arts Belg. S(5r. 3, t. xiv. pp. 305- 

 368 ; translated in ' Zoologist,' 1895, pp. 366-369. 



