Capitalized color terms, unless otherwise indicated, refer to Ridgway's
(1912) _Color Standards and Color Nomenclature_. Some use is made of
color terms taken from Oberthür and Dauthenay (1905) because those
authors show a much larger number of shades between dark brown and
black than does Ridgway (1912). The colors of the upper parts of most
weasels are some shade or other of dark brown. Color terms that do not
have the initial letter capitalized do not refer to any one standard
and consequently are used in a general sense.
Relative extents of the color of the upper parts and underparts are
computed from measurements of the circumference of the body at the
place where the color of the underparts is narrowest. Ordinarily this
place is in the lumbar region rather than in the thoracic region.
An explanation of how cranial measurements were taken is given on page
417. In designating teeth, capital letters are used for teeth in the
upper jaw and lower case letters are used for teeth in the lower jaw.
For example: I2 denotes the second incisor tooth in the upper jaw and
i2 denotes the second incisor tooth in the lower jaw; C1 and c1 refer
to the canine tooth of the upper jaw and lower jaw, respectively; P3
and p3 refer to the third premolar of the upper jaw and lower jaw,
respectively, bearing in mind that the first (anterior) premolar is
absent in the lower jaw and upper jaw of weasels (see fig. 31 on page
416), as also, in some kinds of weasels, is the second premolar; M1 and
m1 refer to the first molar of the upper jaw and lower jaw
respectively.
In describing the skull and teeth the two sexes are treated separately
because differences in shape as well as size are the rule. Unless
otherwise indicated, the skulls on which descriptions are based are of
adults. Weights of skulls include the weight of the lower jaws. In
general, every second subspecies is described. For a subspecies
geographically next adjacent to the one described, only the
differences between the two are enumerated. This method of description
indicates also likenesses and is more economical of words than some
other methods of description. Also, by use of this method, cross
reference is reduced to one other subspecies. Following this formal
description, there is a comparison of the cranial and dental characters
with those of geographically adjacent subspecies.
In the paragraph headed "Remarks" the two words "character" and
"structure" frequently appear. The word structure here is used to mean
some part of an animal, as for example, a hair, a muscle, a bone, or an
internal organ. A structure is not a system, as for example, the
digestive system or osseous system. A character is some weight, linear
dimension, volume, shape, color, or other perceptible attribute of a
structure, of a system, or of an entire organism.
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