﻿16 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[No. 11. 



under parts and a ratlier sliort tail wliicli ends in a remarkably long 

 black pencil. The skull differs from all otlier American weasels in the 

 great breadth of the frontal region and the breadth and bluntness of 

 the muzzle, in both of which respects it resembles true erminea. The 

 only American species whose skull approaches it at all is P. tvashlng- 

 toni, as mentioned above. In external characters the differences are 

 too great to require comparison. 



It is interesting to find in this country an Arctic circumpolar weasel 

 which, though specifically distinct, is strictly the American representa- 

 tive of the Old World erminea. The pattern of coloration, as described 

 above (under color), is precisely as in erminea, but the tints differ 

 materially. The upper parts in erminea lack the golden brown of 

 arcticus^ and the under parts are very much paler and of a different 

 tint, being i)ale suliAur yellow instead of ochraceous. Moreover, 

 arcticus lacks the whitish border to the ear which is present in erminea. 

 In winter pelage the two seem to be indistinguishable except by cranial 

 characters. 



A small form of arcticus occurs on Kadiak Island, Alaska. It has 

 smaller and narrower audital bulla3, less spreading zj^gomata, less 

 divergent tooth rows, and decidedly shorter postmolar production of 

 palate. It is i^robably worthy of recognition as subspecies Jmdiacensis. 

 An adult male (No. G5290) collected April 25, 1894, by B. J. Bretherton, 

 measured in the flesh: Total length, 318; tail vertebrai, 80; hind foot, 

 44. It is in the white winter pelage, just beginning to change, and the 

 terminal half of the tail is black. 



Measurements. — From dry skin of type, male adult, Point Barrow, 

 Alaska: Total length, 380; tail vertebrai, 75; x>encil, 55; hind foot, 48 

 (at least 50 in the flesh). 



PUTORIUS NOVEBORACENSIS De Kay. New York Weasel. 

 (PI. IV, figs. 1, la, 2, 2a; PL ligs. 3, 3a. 

 1840. Putoi'ius novehoracensisDeKsij: Catal. Maramalia New York, p. 18, 1840 (women 



nudum); Zoology of New York, Mammalia, p. 36, 1842. 

 1840. Emmons : Rept. Quadrupeds Massachusetts, p. 45, 1840. 

 1857. Baird : Mammals N. Am., pp. 166-169, 1857. 

 1896. Baugs: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., X, pp. 13-16, Feb. 25, 1896. 

 1877. Futoriiis (Gale) erminea Coues : Fur-Bearing Animals, pp. 109-136 (in part), 1877. 

 Piitorius erminea Thompson, Aud. & Bach, (part), Allen, Merriam, and most recent 

 authors. 



Type locality . — New York State. 



Geographic distribution. — Eastern United States from southern Maine 

 to North Carolina, and west to Illinois. 



General characters. — Male large; female small; tail long aud bushy, 

 much longer than in cicognani, but shorter than in longicauda; the 

 black terminal part longer than in any other species except articus, 

 covering one-third to one-half the tail and measuring 50 to 75 mm. 

 Animal turns white in winter in northern part of range. Extraordinary 

 sexual difl'erenQe in size and cranial characters. 



