1916] Taylor: Beavers of Western North America 469 



Mephitis occidentalis holzneri. The case of Mephitis platyrhina from 

 the south fork of the Kern River and Owens Valley, California, is of 

 interest and possible significance. Its range (Howell, op. cit., p. 39) 

 is overlapped by that of Mephitis occidentalis holzneri. If Howell's 

 suggestion that platyrhina may intergrade with major be true, then 

 the latter, occupying territory to the north, is the closest relative of 

 platyrhina. 



One other Mephitis, namely Mephitis estor, is found in California. 

 This is probably an invader from the east, its geographic distribution 

 including Arizona, western New Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua, and 

 northern Lower California, as well as the valley of the lower Colorado 

 River in California, Although Mephitis < stor is a very distinct 

 species, its closest relative would seem to be Mephitis mesomelas 

 various, whose range lies to the east. Howell (1901, p. 33) goes so 

 far as to suggest that it is possible that intergradation takes place 

 between the two. 



The California badger, Taxidea taxus neglecta, unquestionably 

 intergrades with and is most closely related to Taxidea taxus taxus of 

 eastern America. Specimens of badgers from the Pine Forest Moun- 

 tain region of northern Nevada have been referred to the latter 

 (Taylor, 1911, pp. 296, 297). In the arid southwestern United 

 States and northern Mexico is found the Mexican badger, Taxidea 

 taxus berlandieri. The fourth form is Taxidea taxus infusca, found 

 in Lower California. 



The aquatic genus Latax, which occurs off the west coast of Amer- 

 ica and the northeast coast of Asia, finds in the terrestrial and 

 fluviatile genus Lutra, which is found both in Asia and North Amer- 

 ica, its closest living relative (Taylor, 1914, pp. 493, 495). 



The Muridae are represented in California by so large a number 

 of groups and species that details may justifiably be omitted. This 

 great family must not be passed over, however, without calling atten- 

 tion to the interesting data presented by the Peromyscus maniculatus 

 series of mice. This group is represented by forty-three subspecies 

 or small species distributed nearly throughout the North American 

 continent. 



This was the first to be named and almost the last to be recognized of a 

 large group of inosculating forms — the largest and most remarkable of the 

 genus and perhaps of American mammals. Its distribution is wider and the 



