MAMMALS MELINAE MEPHITIS BICOLOR. 



19 



throughout the Northern, Middle, and Central States. Should the upper Missouri specimens be 

 the same, its distribution will be still wider. The specimen from Louisiana, besides the pecu 

 liarity of color, differs from the northern ones before me in a narrower and more tapering skull 

 anteriorly, and may indicate a different species in the southwest. 



From the very great similarity of the different species of American skunks, it becomes a 

 matter of much difficulty to settle their synonomy. The common species of eastern North 

 America, by many of the earlier authors, has been mixed up and entirely confounded with 

 those from South America of an entirely distinct genus, (Thiosmus.) For this reason it becomes 

 impossible to quote the Viverra mephitis of Erxleben, Schreber, Gmelin, and other authors. 



For a long time the name of Mephitis chinga, as imposed by Tiedemann, was supposed to be 

 the first name restricted to our common skunk. That of Viverra mephitica, given several 

 years before, however, seems to be entitled to replace it, the generic and specific names being 

 sufficiently distinct, and the alliteration not more objectionable than in many other fully accepted 

 species, as Mus musculus, &c. 



. List of specimens. 



MEPHITIS BICOLOR. 



Little Striped Skunk. 



Mephitis bicolor, J. E. GRAY, Charlesworth's Mag. N. H. I, 1837, 581. 



Mephitis zorilla, LICHTENSTEIN, Ueber Mephitis, Abh. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, for 1836, (1838,) 281 ; tab. ii, f. 2. (Not of 



Darstellungen neuer Sxugt. ; tab. xlviii, f. 2, which represents the African animal.) 

 WAGNER, Suppl. Schreber II, 1841, 199 ; tab. cxxiii. 

 AUD. & BACH. N. Am. Quad. Ill, 1854, 276, (not figured.) 

 ? ? Mephitis interrupt^ RAFINESQUE, Annals of Nature, 3, 4. 



FISCHER. Synopsis, 1829, 162. 



1 Mephitis interrupta, LICHSTEVTEIN, Ueber Mephitis, Abh. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, for 1836, (1838,) 283 ; tab. ii, f. 1. 

 " Le zorille, BUFFON, Hist. Nat. XIII, 1765, 302 ; tab. xli." (Fide LICHTENSTEIN.) 



S P . CH. Smallest of North American species. Tail vertebrae, less than half the body; with the hairs not much more than half. 

 Black, with broad white patch on forehead, and crescent before each ear ; fiur parallel dorsal stripes interrupted and broken 

 behind ; a shorter strips on side of belly, running into a posterior transverse crescent, which are white. Tail black throughout, 

 to base of hairs, except a pure white pencil at the end. 



This diminutive species, the smallest of the American skunks, is eminently conspicuous for 

 the great beauty of its markings. In length is does not exceed an ermine weasel, though of pro- 



