29 



American EefevenceHi 



1772. Mustela erminea, Forst., Phil. Trans., Ixii, 1772, 37S.— Harlan, fn. 

 Amer., 1825, 62.— Godman, Am. Nat. Hist., i, 1831, 193.— Hall, 

 Canad Nat. arid Geo\, yi, 1801, 2y5. 



1851. .Mu.'ii.ela erminea, var. americana, Gray, P. 2. S., 1865, 111. 



1851< PiUorius erminea, A. & B., Quad. N. A., ii, 1851, 66, pi. 59. — Allen, 

 Proc. Boat- Soc. Nat. Hist., xiii, 1869, 183. — ^^Jordan, Man. Vert., 

 1878, 13, 2ded. 



1840. Putorius novehoracends, DeKay, K. Y. Zool.,- ii, 1842, 36, pi. 12, f. 2 

 (winter), and pi. 14, f. 2 (sureim?r). — Emnaons, Rep. Quad. Mass., 

 1840, 45.— Baird, M, N. A., 1857, ] 66, pi. 36, f. 8, tkull.— Kennicott, 

 Tr. 111. Stata Agr. Sou., 1853-4, 578.— Sam., Ann. Rep. Mass. 

 Agr., for 1861, 1862, 156, pi. 1, f. t. 



Distrihution.^-The Ermine inhabits Europe, Asia, and America, ex- 

 tending north to the limit of existence of terrestrial mammals- It ex^ 

 tends south to very nearly the southern border of the United States; no 

 S]3ecimens, however, are recorded from the Gulf States, or from New 

 Mexico, Arizona, or Southern California. The range south meets that 

 of Pi brasilifndsi which conducts the genus into South America. 



Specific Character \ — The Ermine is about tea inches (8-^11) to root of 

 tail; the tail vcrtebrse, two to five, averaging three and a half to four 

 inches- Tail at all seasons bushy, conspicuously black tipped for about 

 two-fifths, g ;neriiily, "f its length. Outstretched hind feet do not quite 

 reach to the middle of the yertebrte. In summer, dull mahogany or chest-^ 

 nut brown alone; fall, sulphury-yellow or whitish beneath; edges of 

 upper lip white ; in winter, pure white all over, except tinges of sulphur- 

 yellow, particularly on the belly and hind quarters, and end of tail 

 black. Weight of male, five to eight ounces ; of the female, scarcely four. 



Relationship. — Dr. Coues, in the " North American Mustelidffi," ad- 

 mits six species of Puiorius j P. vulgaris, Least Weasel; P. longicaiida^ Long- 

 tailed Weasel; P. brasiliensis frenatus, Bridled Weasel; P. nigripeSj Black- 

 footed Weasel; P. visoji, Common Mink; and the present species, 

 P. erminea. Extralimital species are P. fcetidus, the well-known " Pitch " 

 of commerce, or "Polecat" (Polish Cat?) of Europe; P. fcetidus var. /wro, 

 the well-known Hunting Ferret, only recognized in a state of domes- 

 tication ; P. fcetidus var. eversmanm, the Asiatic Polecat, possibly the same 

 as P. fcetidus. 



The Ermines of Europe, Asia and America are specifically identical. 



The author above cited, after a careful review of the three currently 



