Part 1

Transcribers Notes:

Italics words are denoted by underscores. Bold words are denoted by =equals=.

Whole and fractional parts are displayed as 7-3/4.

Greek text has been transliterated and are denoted by ~tildes~.

Male and Female symbols are represented by and respectively.

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Vol. 4, pp. 1-466, plates 1-41, 31 figures in text December 27, 1951

AMERICAN WEASELS

E. RAYMOND HALL

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE 1951

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, A. Byron Leonard, Edward H. Taylor, Robert W. Wilson

Vol. 4, pp. 1-466, plates 1-41, 31 figures in text

December 27, 1951

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas

PRINTED BY FERD VOILAND, JR., STATE PRINTER

TOPEKA, KANSAS 1951

23-3758

In regions of heavy rainfall (see figs. 2 and 3) there is an increase in pigmentation and extent of blackish color backward over the neck and a decrease in extent of the white facial markings. In regions progressively more arid (see figs. 3 to 7) there is a decrease in pigmentation and extent of blackish color and an increase in extent of the white facial markings.

As shown by rearing mammals from humid regions in arid regions, and vice versa, the color is not visibly altered in one or a few generations; the color is an hereditary character. Beginning with the southernmost subspecies (fig. 1) and continuing northward to the northern subspecies (fig. 10) there is a darkening, next a lightening, and finally a darkening closely conforming to amounts of precipitation in the geographic regions concerned. A fuller discussion of this correlation is given on page 51.]

American Weasels

E. RAYMOND HALL

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION 7

PALEONTOLOGICAL HISTORY 10

SKELETON AND DENTITION 12

DISPARITY IN NUMBERS OF MALES AND FEMALES 19

MATERIALS, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND METHODS 21