354 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 12 



Compared with a skull of Canis lestes, this skull shows only a very 

 slight development of the deuterocone on P 4 , the teeth are ex- 

 tremely massive and more crowded and the auditory bullae are 

 larger and more inflated. Such characters would constitute good 

 ground for specific differentiation if found repeated in several 

 specimens. 



During the summer we secured only one coyote, too young to 

 be of any value for comparison (no. 13763). Our guide, Mr. Baker, 

 saw fresh tracks on our trip up "Wildcat Peak, at Jackson Lake, and 

 confidently set some steel traps, baited with grouse, but he caught 

 nothing. For the most part we were not in country where we 

 should expect to find them, it being too high and mountainous. 

 During our stay at Helena, Knowles reported seeing many coyote 

 tracks and said that they bothered him by digging out and springing 

 his steel traps set for other animals. 



Urocyon cinereoargenteus townsendi Merriam 

 Townsend Gray Fox 



At Helena foxes seemed to be abundant. Knowles secured seven 

 in all (nos. 12879-12885), by trapping. The weights of these varied 

 from 4% to 10^ pounds. We bought two skins, without skulls, 

 from D. M. Corliss at French Gulch, Shasta County (nos. 12877, 

 12878). In the Trinity and Salmon mountains we saw no sign 

 of foxes. 



In the series obtained, and which are otherwise referable to 

 this form, the white stripe on the hind leg is quite well defined, 

 although Merriam, in his description of townsendi (1899, p. 103), 

 says: "The white stripe on the hind foot of calif ornicus has dis- 

 appeared and is represented by a pale streak." 



Bassariscus astutus raptor (Baird) 

 California Ring-tailed Cat 

 All four specimens (nos. 12886-12889) of this species were taken 

 at Helena, Trinity County. We might have found them at Tower 

 House, too, but the weather while we were there was stormy and 

 we did not devote much time to the setting of steel traps. George 

 Knowles trapped three of the civet cats, and Miss Alexander and I, 

 after a good deal of maneuvering, managed to trap one. We had 



