_Mustela cicognanii cicognanii_, Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
79:95, December 31, 1912; Bishop, Journ. Mamm., 4:26, February 9,
1923.
_Mustela cicognanii_, Jackson, Journ. Mamm., 3:15, February 8,
1922.
_Mustela erminea cicognanii_, Hall, Journ. Mamm., 26:77, February
27, 1945; Hall, Journ. Mamm., 26:180, July 19, 1945.
_Type._--No type specimen designated; type locality, eastern
United States.
The restriction of the type locality from the general region of
northeastern North America, as given by Merriam (1896:10) to the
less inclusive area of the eastern United States as earlier given
by Bangs (1896:18) is supported by Bonaparte's remarks in
connection with the proposal of the name _cicognanii_. He says
(1838:37-38) "During my stay in the United States, I only saw a
small species of _Mustela_, very common throughout the
Union . . . ." This animal constituted basis for the name
_cicognanii_ which name, he points out, is bestowed in order that
the Americans ". . . should have constantly under their eye, this
very common little animal, as the perpetual memorial . . ." to the
Italian Governmental representative ". . . who, for upwards of
fourteen years had served, in diplomatic and commercial
concerns, . . . two countries, . . . so different . . . as the
Roman and the United States. . . ." Clearly he had in mind
principally, if not exclusively, the animal of the United States.
_Range._--Transition and higher life-zones of northeastern United
States south to Connecticut, central Pennsylvania and extreme
northeastern Ohio; in Quebec and Ontario westward from the
latitude of central Maine to Lake Nipigon and Lake of the Woods.
See figure 25 on page 95.
_Characters for ready recognition._--Differs from _M. e.
richardsonii_ of both sexes, in that least width of color of
underparts averages less than a third rather than two-fifths of
greatest width of color of upper parts, in males skull less,
instead of more, than 1.9 grams and basilar length less than 38,
in females by 16 per cent lighter skull (0.92 versus 1.1 grams);
from _M. e. bangsi_, in males hind foot less instead of more than
40, linear measurements of skull averaging 11 per cent less (depth
of skull at plane of molars 10.0 versus 11.4), in females
averaging smaller, hind foot 30 versus 32 and depth of skull at
plane of molars 8.6 versus 9.1.
_Description._--_Size._--Male. Seven adults and subadults from New
York and Pennsylvania, yield average and extreme measurements as
follows: Total length, 266 (240-295); length of tail, 74 (66-80);
length of hind foot, 36 (33-39). Hamilton (1933:294) gives the
weight of 31 adults from New York as 81 (66-105) grams.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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