0^ THE CRANIAL AW DENTAL CHARACTERS OF MEPHITmi], WITH 

 DESCRIPTIOxN OF MEPHITIS FRONTATA, N. SP. FOSS.* 



By Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A. 



DElN^TAL FOEMUL.E. 



3-3 ,, 1-1 



I. 



3=3'^ S^' 



3-3 



1-1=16 



3IepMtis, 

 Spilogale. 



'2=2 18"=^^- \ 



MEPHITIS FEOI^TATA, Coues, n. sp. foss. 



DiAG. — Skull extremely high in tlie middle ; the profile of the upper 

 outline very rapidly descending in a nearly straigb-t line from this point 

 to the occiput and muzzle. Greatest depth of skull without jaw little 

 less than half its length. Zygoma highly arched ; the bone in front com- 

 pressed vertically instead of laterally. 



Locality of remains. — Bone-caves of Pennsylvania. 



Fiir. 1. 



This species is founded on a skull, 'No. 2232 of the Smithsonian Mu- 

 seum, obtained by Professor Baird in the bone-caves of Pennsylvania. The 

 animal was a true Mephitis, as evidenced by the functionally-developed 

 anterior upper premolar and shape of the jaw. The most remarkable 

 peculiarity will be seen at a glance in the accompanying illustration of 

 the skull in profile. Though the frontal region is tumid throughout 

 Mephitijuv, there is seen in the recent species nothing like the protuber- 

 ance and angulation of the vertex of M. frontata. The prominence is 

 also decidedly more posterior; it is something over and above the gen- 

 eral tumidity of the interorbital' region of recent Mepliitis; the 



* Based on the material in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. 



