ALLEN ON THE GENUS NASUA. 1G9 



xius (iii 1800, on the identification of Dr. Peters) and Hensel (1873) 

 recognized the Mexican Coati as specifically distinct from the common. 

 South American species, adopting for it Maximilian's name leucorhyn- 

 ' elms. This name, however, is antedated by the Linn jean name nark-a, 

 which must take precedence for the species. 



In addition to the above complication of synonymy, I had the morti- 

 fying misfortune, in 1877, to add another, by describing and figuring a 

 skin under the name Bassaricyon gabbii* supposing it at the time to be 

 the skin belonging to the skull previously figured and described by met 

 under that name. Without going into details respecting the attenuating 

 circumstance of the case, or how I was led into such an egregious blunder, 

 I will merely state that the skin described and figured as that of Ba#sa~ 

 ricyon gabbii, as above cited, has nothing whatever to do with that species, 

 but is simply the Mexican Coati, Nasua narica, and that the external 

 characters of the true Bassaricyon gabbii remain still wholly unknown. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. The first recent mention of the Coati 

 as an inhabitant of Mexico appears, as previously note d, to have been m ade 

 by Dr. Weinland in 1860, who states, on the authority of Dr. Miiller, that 

 it is common over the whole of the eastern slope of the high tablelands, 

 or "Terra teinplada," but does not occur in the "Terra calienta" of the 

 coast region. He adds that, notwithstanding this, he finds no previous 

 mention of its occurrence. De Saussure, in 1862, endorses Dr. Wein- 

 land's statement that previous writers had made no mention" of the occur- 

 rence of the Coati in Mexico, although, he says, it is one of the com- 

 monest mammals of that country. Tomes, in 1861, gives Nasua fusca in 

 the list of mammals collected in Guatemala by Mr. Sah'in, but without 

 comment. Dr. von Frantzius, in 1869, refers to Nasua leucorhynchus as of 

 common occurrence in Costa Eica. These are the only references to its 

 distribution I have met with that I consider as of unquestionable authen- 

 ticity. As already stated, owing to the absence of all reference to the 

 occurrence, in South America, of a species of Coati with a white nose and 

 unicolored tail, except von Tschudi's statement that his-^. leucorliynclim 



being fully developed, we found tliein still very different. ' Dr. M tiller's (now in the 

 Zoological Garden of Frankfort) had already all of the characters of N. solitaria, while 

 mine, on the contrary, belonged to the type of N. socialis, which sufficiently showed 

 that the differences are not merely those of age. 



"To show what they are the following descriptions of both types are given, based 

 on many individuals, either stuffed or in skins, which I brought from Mexico." Zoo- 

 loyische Garten, Jahrgang iii, 18G2, pp. 52-5r>. 



Very detailed descriptions of both species then follow, from which it appears tluit 

 his "JY". sodalis" is merely the lighter-colored and his "JV. solitaria" the darker phase 

 of the common A r . narica; and, furthermore, that M. De Saussure could not have been 

 very familiar Avith the characters of the Brazilian species. I will here observe that in 

 all probability the "Tejo solo" of the Mexicans, like the "Pisote solo" of the Costa 

 Ricaus, and the "Coati mondeo" of the Brazilians, as shown by von Frantzius and 

 Hensel, was given to the old solitary males. 



*Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1877, p. 267, pi. ii. 



tProc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1876. p. 20, pi. i. 

 Bull, v, 2 - 2 



