2 Howell — Generic Names of North American Skunks. 



It seems wise, in view of the radical differences between Dr. 

 Allen's position and my own, to go over the evidence again in 

 greater detail than was possible or necessary in my former 

 paper. In order to facilitate comparison of the two argu- 

 ments, I shall adopt the order of presentation used by Dr. 

 Allen, and at the close give a summary of my own views. 



The Qenus Mephitis. 



The whole question of the application of the name Mephitis 

 hinges on the identification of Cuvier's ^conepate\ If as Dr. 

 Allen concludes, this is not one of the little spotted skunks, but 

 the common two-striped skunk of the eastern United States, no 

 further argument is required to support his contention, and the 

 so-called 'restrictions' of Gray and Lichtenstein have no bearing 

 on the question. For in that event the genus is not composite, 

 but is composed of two congeneric species. 



But Dr. Allen's position seems to be untenable. The 'eone- 

 pate^ of Cuvier, although doubtless the equivalent of Buffon's 

 'conepate,'' is based primarily on Viverra putorius Linn., since 

 Cuvier refers to Linnasus and to no other author; and Viverra 

 putorius of Linnseus is admittedly based on Catesby's 'pol-cat' 

 of Carolina, which he calls Putorius americanua striatus. In 

 order to make the matter clear, I shall endeavor to show that 

 Catesby's animal is referable to a species of 8pilogale, and shall 

 then trace the subsequent history of the species down to 

 Cuvier's time. 



The 'pol-cat' was described and figured by Catesby in his 

 'Natural History of Carolina,' published in 1731, this being the 

 first account of any North American skunk. The descrip- 

 tion was prepared from his personal observation during a so- 

 journ of several years in South Carolina and the adjacent por- 

 tions of Georgia. He appears never to have visited Florida. 

 Since it is important to show that he traveled in a region where 

 Spilogale occurs, I will quote his brief itinerary, as follows: 



"The inhabited parts of Carolina extend West from the 

 Sea about 60 Miles, and almost the whole Length of the 

 Coast, being a level, low Country. In these Parts I continued 

 the first Year ****.! then went to the Upper uninhab- 

 ited Parts of the Country, and continued at and about Fort 

 Moore, a small Fortress on the Banks of the River Savanna, 



