﻿JUNE, 1896.] SYNOPSIS OF THE WEASELS OF NORTH AMERICA. 13 



termiual tliircl of tail black; under parts, iDcluding upi)er lip, fore feet, 

 and distal half of Mnd feet, soiled white, tinged with yellowish. Winter 

 IDelage probably white. 



Cranial characters. — Skull similar to that of P. richardsoni, but very 

 much broader between orbits and across muzzle; postorbital processes 

 more strongly developed; constriction deeper. 



BemarlvS. — Mr. Streator obtained two males of this new weasel at 

 Juneau in the latter part of August. He obtained also, at the same place 

 and time, three females, which in color and markings agree with the 

 males, but are hardly half as large. Their skulls are as small as those 

 of true cicognani, which they closely resemble. If they are the females 

 of alascensis, as seems probable, then this weasel exhibits as great 

 sexual difference in size as P. novehoraceusis, in which resi^ect it stands 

 unique as a member of the cicognani groupc The only alternate possi- 

 bility is that cicognani and alasccnsis occur together at Juneau, and that 

 of the 5 specimens collected there by Streator the 2 males are alasccnsis 

 and the 3 females cicognani. 



Measurements. — Average of two males from Juneau, Alaska: Total 

 length, 335; tail vertebrie, 95; hind foot, 48. Average of three females 

 from same i)lace: Total length, 270; tail vertebrie, 77 ; hind foot, 34. 



PUTORIUS STREATORI sp. uov. Puget Sound Weasel. 



(PI. II, figs. 5, 5a, 6, 6a.) 



Type from Mount Vernon, Skagit Valley, Washington. No. 76646, ad., U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., Dept. Agric. coll. Coll. Feb. 29, 1896, by D. R. Luckey. (Original number 3 ) 



Geographic distribution, — Puget Sound and coast region of Washing- 

 ton and Oregon; south at least to Yaquina Bay (Newi)ort), Oregon. 

 Confined to a narrow strip along the coast. 



(rcneral characters. — Similar to Piitorius cicognani, but smaller and 

 darker, Avith color of upper parts encroaching on belly. 



Color. — Upper parts, including upper lip and fore and hind feet, 

 uniform dark chocolate brown, darkest on head, and encroaching far 

 on belly and throat (often meeting along middle of belly); terminal 

 third of tail black; under parts narrowly and irregularly white, faintly 

 tinged Avith yellowish. In, unnter ]}elage at low altitudes the color of 

 the upper parts is paler (almost drab brown) and the toes may become 

 white ; at higher altitudes the whole animal changes to white, ^ except 

 the end of the tail, which always remains black. 



Cranial characters. — Skull of male similar to that of male cicognani, 

 but smaller, slightly broader interorbitally, and with somewhat more 



^Mr. R. E. Darrell, of Port Moody, British. Columbia, writes me : I have discovered 

 that, although the weasels do not change color down near salt water, they do change to 

 the white winter coat in the mountains.'^ Specimens in the Department collection- 

 from Mount Adams, AVashington, killed in February and March, are in the white 

 winter pelage. The type and a female from the same locality (Mount Vernon,, 

 Skagit Valley) are in the drab-brown winter pelage. 



