NO. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA — GOLDMAN 1 63 



the color of the head. He says : " Upon the one occasion when this 

 animal was encountered by our party, I found it to be most interest- 

 ing, it having marked resemblance in behavior to our northern 

 weasels and martens. It was exceedingly curious and unafraid." 



Specimens examined : Bugaba, i * ; Gatun, I ; Tacarcuna, 3 2 ; 

 Tapalisa, 3." 



Genus GRISON Oken. Grisons 



The genus Grison includes a large, weasel-like animal, smaller, 

 however, than Tayra and differing conspicuously in co'lor. A broad 

 white line extends across the forehead, over the ears and on to the 

 sides of the neck ; the limbs and the face to above the eyes are black ; 

 the back is mixed black and gray, producing a grizzled effect. The 

 line across the forehead suggests the white facial markings com- 

 monly present in the weasels. The soles of the hind feet, unlike those 

 of the weasels, are naked. 



GRISON CANASTER (Nelson) 



Yucatan Grison 



Galictis canaster Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. 14, p. 129, 

 August 9, 1901. Type from near Tunkas, Yucatan. 



A grison was shot one night on or near the ground in the forest at 

 1,800 feet altitude near Cana. It was located by the glare of its eyes 

 in the field of light projected from a hunting lamp, but the identity of 

 the animal was not suspected until it was picked up. The example, 

 a female, is provisionally referred to G. canaster, the type of which 

 is now in the collection of the Biological Survey. It closely resembles 

 G. canaster except that the dark element of the pelage is nearly pure 

 black instead of dark brown ; but the type of G. canaster was mounted 

 and probably exposed to the light for several years during which time 

 it may have faded. In comparing the skull of this female specimen 

 with that of the type of G. canaster, a male, differences noted in the 

 size of the teeth are those usually found when Mustelidae of opposite 

 sexes are examined. A specimen in the National Museum from 

 Talamanca, Costa Rica, agrees closely in all essential respects with 

 the one from Panama and may be referred to the same form. While 

 the Middle American specimens may conditionally be assigned to 

 G. canaster of Yucatan, the relationship of that form to typical 

 G. allamtandi Bell and to G. crassidens Nehring- 3 of Brazil is some- 



1 Collection Mus. Comp. Zool. ' 



2 Collection Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 



s For discussion of these forms see Nehring, Sitzungsber. der Gesellsch. 

 naturforsch. Freunde zu Berlin, pp. 209-216, Nov. 19, 1901. 



