MUSTELA 



401 



J. E. Harting (c&p). 95. 4. 5. 1. 



(Type of species.) 

 Hon. N. C. Roths- 0. 5. 17. 2. 



child (p). 

 Col. J. W. Yerbury 93. 1. 6. 1. 



(c & p). 

 E. Lynan (o & p). 99. 7. 3. 1. 

 G.Barrett-Hamilton 11. 1. 3. 202-203. 



(c & p). 

 P. M. C. Kermode 95. 5. 30. 1. 



(c & p). 

 P. M. C. Kermode 11. 1. 3. 204. 



(c & p). 

 J. G. Bacon (c & p). 1. 5 12. 1-2. 



MUSTELA NIVALIS Linnaeus. 

 (Synonymy under subspecies.) 



Geographical distribution. — Europe from the Arctic coast to 

 the Mediterranean (including the Balearic Islands, Corsica, 

 Sardinia, Sicily, and Malta) and from Great Britain eastward 

 into Asia. 



Diagnosis. — Size usually less than in Mustela erminea and 

 M. hibernica, and tail usually shorter in proportion to length of 

 head and body, the pencil small, its longest hairs not half as long 

 as vertebrae ; skull like that of Mustela erminea, but with rostral 

 breadth over canines relatively greater, frequently exceeding 

 interorbital breadth, especially in the larger races in which the 

 skull approaches that of M. erminea in size ; colour much as in 

 M. erminea, but brown of upper parts usually (except in 

 Mediterranean races) encroaching on whitish of belly, the line 

 of demarcation irregular ; tail with no black except occasionally 

 a tuft in pencil ; a white winter pelage in colder portions of 

 range. 



External characters. — In general like Mustela erminea, but size 

 usually less, and tail relatively shorter (scarcely more than one 

 quarter head and body, except in the forms inhabiting the 

 Mediterranean region), the pencil thin, tapering, never as wide 

 as median portion of tail, its longest hairs only one-quarter to 

 one-third as long as tail vertebrae ; palms and soles hairy, the 

 pads bare in summer in northern forms, always in southern 

 forms ; ear short but appearing distinctly above fur, its outline 

 evenly rounded, both inner and outer surfaces densely clothed 

 with short hairs ; fur as in M. erminea. Mammse : « 4 — 4 = 8. 



Colour. — Upper parts a yellowish brown similar to that of 

 Mustela erminea, but seldom darkening along median dorsal 

 region or on head, the brown usually extending to or covering 

 dorsal surface of feet ; underf ur throughout the dark regions 

 paler than distal portion of long hairs ; underparts and inner 

 surface of legs whitish or yellowish in strong contrast, but line 

 demarcation low on sides of body and usually irregular, the 



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