WEASEL KIND. 95 



colour and fur, but both obviously of the weasel 

 kind, as appears not only from their figure and 

 odour, but also from their disposition. The 

 squash is about the size of a polecat, its hair of 

 a deep brown, but principally differing from all 

 of this kind, in having only four toes on the feet 

 before, whereas all other weasels have five. The 

 skink, which I take to be Catesby's Virginia 

 Polecat, resembles a polecat in shape and size, 

 but particularly differs in the length of its hair 

 and colour. The hair is above three inches and 

 a half long, and that at the end of the tail above 

 four inches. The colour is partly black and 

 partly white, variously disposed over the body, 

 very glossy, long, and beautiful. There seem to 

 be two varieties more of this animal, which M. 

 Buffon calls the Conepate and the Zorille. He 

 supposes each to be a distinct species ; but as 

 they are both said to resemble the polecat in 

 form, and both to be clothed with long fur of a 

 black and white colour, it seems needless to make 

 a distinction. The conepate resembles the skink 

 in all things, except in size, being smaller ; and 

 in the disposition of its colours, which are more 

 exact, having five white stripes upon a black 

 ground, running longitudinally from the head to 

 the tail. The zorille resembles the skink, but is 

 rather smaller, and more beautifully coloured, its 

 streaks of black and white being more distinct, 

 and the colours of its tail being black at its in- 

 sertion, and white at the extremity, whereas in 

 the skink they are all of one grey colour. 

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