336 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. [71Z.Y 



BASSAEIS ASTUTA, Liclitenstein. 

 Northern Civet Cat. 



Bassaris astuta, LICHTENSTEIN, Abhandl. d. Berlin. Acad. 1827, (1830), 119 ; Darstellung 

 Siiugeth., 1827-1834, pi. xliii (skull and animal). WAGLER, Isis, 1831, 511. 

 GERVAIS, Voy. de la Bonite, Zool.,i, 1841, 18, pi. iv (skeleton and visceral 

 anatomy). CHARLESWORTH, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1841, 60 (habits). DE 

 BLAINVILLE, Oste"og., Des Mustelas, 1842, pi. v T)is (skeleton), pi. xiii (denti- 

 tion). WAGNER, Schreber'sSiiugeth.,Suppl.,ii, 1841, 278, pi. cxxvC (animal). 

 THOMSON, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1842, 10 (habits). AUDUBON & BACIIMAN, 

 Quad. N. Am., ii, 1851, 314, pi. xcviii (animal). GIEBEL, Odontog., 1855, 31, 

 pi. xi, fig. 10 (dentition) ; Siiugeth., 1855, 803. BAIRD, Mam. N. Am., 1858, 

 147 ; Rep. U. S. and Mex. Bound Surv., ii, 1859, Mam., 18, pi. xiv, fig. 2 (skull). 

 WOLF & SCLATER, Zoolog. Sketches, i, 1861, pi. xiv (animal, from life). GRAY, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1864, 512; Cat. Cam. Pachy. and Edent. Mam., 1869, 

 246.--COUES, Am. Nat., i, 1867, 351 (Arizona). FLOWER, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 

 1869, 31, fig. 3 a, skull (systematic position). VILLADA, La Naturaleza, i, 1870, 

 297. SULLIVANT, Am. Nat., vi, 1872, 363 (Ohio). COUES, Am. Nat., vi, 1872, 264 

 (distribution). ALLEN, Bull. Essex Institute, vi, 1874, 45 (Kansas). " KIRK- 

 PATRICK, Proc. Cleveland Acad. Nat. Sci., 1874, 377 (Ohio)." CORDERO, 

 La Naturaleza, 1875, iii, 273, plate (animal). COUES, Amer. Nat., xii, 1878, 

 253 (Rogue River, Southwestern Oregon). 



Bassaris astuta var. fulvescens, GRAY, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1864,512; Cat. Cam. 

 Pachy. and Edent. Main., 1889, 246. 



Bassaris raptor, BAIRD, Rep. U. S. and Mex. Bound Surv., ii, 1859, Mam., 19. 



Caca-miztle, Caco-Mixtle, and Tepe-Maxtlatpn, HERNANDEZ. 



Cacomistle, Cacamiztli, and Cuapiote, of the Mexicans. 



Katzenfrett, German authors. 



Civet Cat, Ring-tailed Civet Cat, Texas Civet Cat, Mexican Civet Cat, Cat Squirrel, Mountain 

 Cat, Raccoon Fox, etc., of English writers, and locally in the United States. 



The comparative diagnoses above given indicate the average characters 

 of the species, but a series of eight specimens shows a considerable range 

 of variation in color and other details. Aside from the smaller size of the 

 female, 1 have noted no other important sexual differences. The number 

 of white rings on the tail in B. astuta varies from six to nine, the usual 

 number being either seven or eight. They vary in width, being usually 

 narrower than the black ones, sometimes equalling them, while in rare 

 instances the white rings are the wider. The general color above is 

 gray or brownish- gray, varying in some examples to yellowish-brown, the 

 anterior half of the body being usually purer gray (less suffused with 

 brownish-yellow) than the posterior half. The black terminating the 

 longer hairs varies greatly in amount, but always gives a conspicuous 

 blackish cast to the dorsal surface, while in some the prevailing color, 

 especially along the middle of the back, is black. In such specimens, the 

 upper surface of the feet is more or less blackish or brownish-black ; the 

 black rings in the tail are broader and the black terminal portion of the 

 tail more extended. A single skin from Oregon * is dark throughout, 

 being as black as the darkest examples of B. sumichrastij and contrasts 

 strongly with the light colored specimens from Texas and Northeastern 



*This is the specimen mentioned by Dr. Coues in Amer. Nat., xii, 1878, p. 253. 



