1875.] MR. C. A. WRIGHT ON THE WEASEL OF MALTA. 313 
afterwards named Mustela boccamela by Bechstein. It is said to 
take oe place of the Common Weasel (Mustela vulgaris) in that 
island*. 
In the ‘ Rendiconti dell’ Accademia Scientifica di Napoli’ for 1865, 
pp- 32-33, Professor Costa described a variety of the Common 
Weasel from Southern Italy, which he names var. meridionalis ; it 
is said to be intermediate between M. vulgaris and M. boccamela as 
regards the length of the tail, which is two fifths of that of the body 
in the Sardinian Weasel, two ninths in the common species, and two 
sevenths in the variety mentioned+. Dr. Giinther, however, thinks 
that Costa, in making this statement, has confounded M. erminea 
with M. vulgaris ; and it is well known that not much dependence 
can be placed on the relative length of the tail as a distinctive feature, 
as it varies much in this group of animals. 
Doderlein does not include Mustela boceamela in his observations 
on the Vertebrates of Sicily, but alludes to a white-footed variety of 
the Common Weasel (Mustela vulgaris), which approaches the 
Boccamele in character ft. 
It has been said that Mustela boccamela is found in Southern 
Europe and Northern Egypt. On the other hand, Professor Cor- 
nalia, in his recently published Catalogue of the Mammalia of Italy, 
states that this species is only met with in the island of Sardinia. 
It is said to emit no bad smell (but, in my experience, this does not 
always hold good with the Maltese species), to be excessively fond of 
honey (as its name implies), to be lively, vivacious, and very easily 
domesticated §. 
Cetti is of opinion that the Mustela boccamela is the Ictis of 
Aristotle, and gives very convincing reasons for thinking so ||. 
In Malta there is no tradition of its having been introduced, and it 
is never met with in a semi-domesticated state, as in the island of 
Sardinia. 
Professor Cornalia, in the work above cited, gives the dimensions 
of the Common Weasel found in Italy (Mustela vulgaris) at 20 centi- 
metres, and tail 5 centimetres ; of M. boccamela 35 centimetres and 
tail 10. 
- Dr. Giinther informs me that the British Museum does not con- 
tain a specimen of Mustela boccamela. The species which had been 
bought for it is nothing but an example of Mustela erminea from 
Algeria. 
* Vide Cetti, ‘Hist. Sard. Quadrup.’ i. p. 211, tab. 5; Bechstein, ‘ Naturg. 
Deutschl.’ p. 819. 
t Vide Zool. Rec. 1865, p. 37. 
+ Vide Aleuni Generalita intorno la Fauna Sicula dei Vertebrati, per Pietro 
Doderlein, Direttore del Museo di Zoologia ed Anatomia Comparata nella Regia 
Universita di Palermo, 1872, p. 4. 
Vide ‘Fauna q’ Italia, parte prima, p. 33. 
|| Vide Aristotle, Hist. Anim. lib. ix. cap. vi. 
