130 0>' THE LONG-LOST PUTORItJS AFRICANUS. [Feb. O, 



Hemprich and Ehrenberg's name. These two specimens are of just 

 about the size of the smaller N. African AVeasel as given by Lataste, 

 and I would suggest that they have been wrongly looked upon as 

 young and that they are really adults of the smaller species, while 

 the two larger specimens might be small females of P. africamis. 



This point, on which the nomenclature of the smaller species if 

 different from P. hoccamela^ will depend, can only be settled by a 

 detailed examination of the Berlin types and their skulls, an 

 examination which I trust Dr. Matscbie may himself be able to 

 undertake and give an account of. 



That certain Egyptian Weasels are only of the size of P. bocca- 

 mela is also borne out by the characters and measurements given 

 by Hensel ^ of an original skull of P. suhpalmatus belonging to a 

 skeleton preserved in the Anatomical part of the Berlin Museum ^. 

 This skull is, however, unfortunately not sexed, and therefore the 

 comparison of measurements may be between female suhpalmatus 

 and female hoccamela. Still, Hensel does say distinctly that 

 P. suhpalmatus is a species " die allerdings mit der Boccamela 

 identisch ist," although whether his assertion was based on an 

 examination of external as well as cranial characters I have _ no 

 means of kno\^ing. 



The following are some pertinent measurements of Mediterranean 

 Weasels : — 



Head & „, ., Hind- 



body. ^^^^- foot. 

 " Putorius boccamela." mm. mm. mm. 



Sardinia (topotype). c? (in spirit) . . 206 79 36-6 

 do. do. $ do. . . 145 51 26 



Algeria(/cZe Lataste).? do. ..162 -46 26 (with 



claws). 

 <■' Puforlus subpalmatus" {fide Matschie). 



Egypt. No. 1003^ (stuffed).... 170 44 26 



do. 1005* do 170 42 26 



do. 1004 $ do 270 90 33 



do. A. 373 2 do 270 87 31 



Putorius africamis. 



Egypt, c? (ill spirit) 260 108 47 



do. 6 (skin) 41 



do. 2 (skin) 38 



Malta, c? (stuffed) (c.)300 105 43 



In using the names boccamela and subpalmatus for present 

 purposes, I do not wish to be taken as expressing any opinion as to 



' Lataste states that boccamela as a technical name dates only from 1835 ; but 

 Bechstein's ' Naturgeschichte Deutschlands,' in which it occurs (vol. i. p. 819), 

 was published in 1801, and I also notice that the species was binoraially quoted 

 by Fischer (Syn. Mamm. p. 224) in 1829, so that in any case it is of earlier date 

 than suhpalmatiis. 



- " Craniologische Studien," N. Act. Leop. xlii. pp. 177-179, Table S, column 4 

 (1881). 



^ No. 5661. * The real co-types ; see above. 



