JUNE, 1896.] SYNOPSIS OF THE WEASELS OF NORTH AMERICA. 9 



(including the whitish supraorbital spot) and dips slightly forward 

 before passing transversely across the face, so that its posterior border 

 is in front of the plane of the outer angles of the eyes. Its anterior 

 border sometimes extends forward almost to the nasal pad, but this is 

 unusual. The black of the feet reaches up and covers the fore leg to 

 the elbow, except along the outer side, and the hind leg to near the 

 knee, except posteriorly. 



Measurements.* Average of 3 males: Total length, 570; tail verte- 

 bra, 133; hind foot, 60. Average of 2 females: Total length, 500; tail 

 vertebrae, 120; hind foot, 55. 



Cranial measurement*. Average of 4 skulls of adult males: Basal 

 length, 04; basilar length of Hensel,C2.5; zygomatic breadth, 43; mas- 

 toid breadth, 37; breadth across postorbital processes, 22.5; interor 

 bital breadth, 18; breadth of constriction, 12.5; palatal length, 33; 

 postpalatal length, 31.5. Average of 2 skulls of adult females: 

 Basal length, 60.5; basilar length of Hensel, 58.5; zygomatic breadth, 

 39; inastoid breadth, 34.5; breadth across postorbital processes, 20; 

 iuterorbital breadth, 16.5; breadth of constriction, 12; palatal length, 

 31; postpalatal length, 20. 



Subgenus ICTIS Kaup, 1829. 



Ictis Kanp: Entwickelnngs-Geschichte und Naturliches System der Europaischen 



Thierwelt, pp. 40-41, 1829. (Contains only a single species, Muslela rulyarin.') 



Schulze: Fannie Saxonicse, Mammalia, p. 170, 1893. 

 Arctogale Kaup: Entwickeluugs-Geschichte nnd Naturliches System der Enropiii- 



sclien Thierwelt, p. 30, 1829. (Contains two species, erminea and boccamela.) 

 Gale Wagner: Supplement Schreber's Siiugthiere, II, p. 234, 1841. (Contains four 



species, frenatus, ermivea, boccamela, and vulgaris.) 



The names Ictis and Arctogale were proposed simultaneously in the 

 same publication. Each is accompanied by a diagnosis and included spe- 

 cies. The two names, therefore, according to Canon 18 of the A. O. U. 

 Code of Nomenclature, are equally pertinent. In sequence of pagina- 

 tion Arctogale comes 10 pages ahead of Ictis. Ictis contains a single 

 species (vulgaris = niralis Linn.), while Arctogale has two (erminea 

 and loccamela). The reasons for choosing Ictis instead of A rctogale are : 



(1) The type of let-is is fixed beforehand, since it contained only a single 

 species, while in Arctogale the type must be established arbitrarily; 



(2) Arctogale is now in current use for another genus of small carniv- 

 ora; 2 to transfer it to a diiferent group would lead to much confusion, 

 and would be a great and seemingly unnecessary calamity. Hence, 

 since there is no rule to the contrary, the better course seems to be to 

 adopt Ictis and allow Arctogale to fall into synonymy. 



1 The number of specimens of which reliable flesh measurements are available is 

 too small to afford satisfactory averages. 



*ArctogaU Peters, 1864, a gemi.s of Viverridsr ; Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864, 

 pp. 508, 542-543; Blanford, Fauna British India, Mammalia, p. 114, 1888; Flo\v-r and 

 Lydekker, Introduction to Study of Mammals, p. 533, 1891; Lydi-kk.-r, Royal Nat. 

 Hist., I, p. 461, 1893-94. 



