^o-^-'i ALLEN ON THP: GENUS NASUA. 173 



flistiiietly with broad indistinctly defined longitudinal bands of whitish 

 and dusky or even black, with an indistinct transverse blackish band 

 through the eye. In one example thus marked the usual whitish face- 

 markings are obsolete. 



As already noted, writers who have observed the animal in a state of 

 nature refer to great variability of color in even individuals of the same 

 litter. In some specimens, the white. facial markings are obsolete, as in 

 von Tschudi's N'asita montana. Melamstic examx^les appear to be not 

 imfrequent, and there is also a strong tendency to erythrism, in which the 

 whole pelage is more, or less reddish, even to the ba se of the hair, and 

 unvaried by other tints save the blackish rings on the tail; at other 

 times, the middle of the back posteriorly is blackish, as are also the sides 

 of the nose. 



Skull. — ^A series of eight skulls of this species, mostly from Santa 

 Eita, Sonthern Brazil, indicates a considerable amount of both sexual 

 and individual variation. The females are smaller than the males, with 

 relatively very much smaller canines. Two male skulls from Santa 

 Eita (M. C. Z., ISTos. 1000 and 1001, Thayer Exped.) measm^e respectively 

 as follows, the smaller being much the older : length (from front edge of 

 intermaxillse to posterior border of occipital condyles) respectively 127 

 mm. and 115 mm. ; breadth (at point of greatest expansion of zygomata) 

 respectively 73 mm. and 74 mm. An adult female skull (M. C. Z., l!s"o. 

 999, Santa Eita, Brazil, Thayer Exped.) measures 110 mm. by 61 mm. 

 Dr. Hensel states that the maximum length (measured as above) of a 

 series of thirty -four old male skulls is 126 mm., and the minimum 112 

 mm.; and of the "normal skull" 118 mm. He gives the maximum 

 length of a series of forty-nine old female skulls as 114 mm.; minimum, 

 103 mm. ; "normal," 107 mm. 



GrENEKAL HISTORY AND SYNONYMY. — A more Complicated case of 

 sj^nonymy than that presented by the present species is rarely to be en- 

 countered. The introduction of the species into literature can be traced 

 back to Marcgrave (1648). and even Thevet (1558), but the first important 

 reference is that by the former, which became, in conjunction with Bris- 

 ■ son's "Coati-Mondi a queue annelee" (1756), the basis of the Linnrean 

 Viverra nasua. The " Coati noiratre" of Buffon (1760) is imquestionably 

 the same animal on which was based the first figure of the species under 

 that name, published by Schreber in 1776. Under this title, and un- 

 mixed with any other species, the present species was currently known 

 until about 1817, when F. Omder and Desmarest introduced confusion by 

 losing sight entirely of Linn6's Viverra narica, their Viverra narica being 

 merely a color- variety of the present species. The last-named author 

 also introduced a third nominal species referable to the present one under 

 the name Viverra quasje. For the next fifty years the narica of those 

 authors who used the name is referable to the nasua of Linne. In 1820, 

 Desmarest abandoned both of the Linnffian names nasua and narica, — 

 the first in consequence of Storr's adopting the name Xasua (in 1780) as 



