Howell — Generic Names of North American Skunks. 1 



shown by Lesson's note that Cuvier's plate is a 'good figure! of 

 the species he is treating ('B. fig.'=^o«7ie figure), and by his 

 assignment of 'Louisiana' as the type locality, that being the 

 source of the specimen recorded by Cuvier. An examination 

 of Cuvier's plate shows that it is indeed a 'good figure' of one 

 of the North American two-striped skunks, and in the text we 

 find the statement that the figure was based on a specimen 

 which the elder Cuvier had in captivity, and which came from 

 Louisiana. 



In view of this certain evidence, it seems best to consider 

 that Chincha americana Lesson, which is the type of the genus, 

 was based largely on the animal described by F. Cuvier, which 

 is referable to Chincha mesom,elas (Licht.) This conclusion, of 

 course, does not afEect the validity of the name Chincha, but 

 simply serves to fix with greater certainty the basis of the 

 type.* 



Viverra mephitis Schreber. 



Dr. Allen has made a very clear presentation of the facts 

 bearing on the tenability of this name. His conclusion, how- 

 ever, that it should be referred to Mephitis macroura Licht., 

 seems to be based on a misapprehension of the facts. 



The members of the m,acroura group (Subgenus Leucomitra) 

 as I pointed out in my previous paper, are usually either wholly 

 * white or wholly black on the back, and in any case nevei^ have the 

 divided stripe of the United States species (subgenus Chincha). 

 The tail, in the majority of specimens, equals or exceeds the 

 head and body in length, and never falls below 85 per cent of 

 the combined length of head and body. BufEon's figure (of 

 which Sohreber's is a copy) portrays an animal with two broad 

 divergent stripes separated by a small area of black; the tail is 

 said to be half as long as the head and body. 



*In this connection, I may take occasion to publish a name which 

 escaped me while preparing the list of specific names referable to the 

 genus Chincha. (N. Am. Fauna, No. 20, p. 15). To that list should be 

 added Mephitis vulgaris P. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. Mamm., VII, Table Gen. 

 et. Method, p. 3, 1842, based on the plate and description of 'le Chinche,' 

 published in a previous volume of the same work (Hist. Nat. Mamm., 

 Ill, livr. 28, 1821). Cuvier says in this connection: "This animal is the 

 Vkerra mephitis of the systematic catalogues; the name should be 

 changed, since Mephitis has become the generic name." 



