Ana County, New Mexico."

In 1906 (N. Amer. Fauna, 26:1-55, 10 pls., November 24) A. H. Howell's
"Revision of the skunks of the genus Spilogale" was published and the
four names listed above were retained by him as applying to four
species (not subspecies). His map (_op. cit._, pl. 1) showing the
geographic distribution of the four kinds looks reasonable enough at
first inspection and does not indicate any overlapping of the
geographic ranges of the species in question, but if a map be made by
plotting the localities of occurrence recorded by Howell (_op. cit._),
for specimens examined by him, a notably different geographic
distribution is shown. For one thing the geographic ranges of
_gracilis_, _leucoparia_, _arizonae_ and _ambigua_ coincide over a
considerable part of Arizona. Also, specimens collected in recent
years from Arizona and adjoining areas do not readily fit into the
"species" recognized by Howell; some specimens are structurally
intermediate between two or more of these species and other specimens
combine the diagnostic characters ascribed to two or more of the
alleged species. For these and other reasons a re-appraisal of the
application of the names mentioned above long has been indicated.

Before re-appraising the names it is pertinent to recall that Howell's
paper in 1906 on _Spilogale_ was only the second revisionary paper
that he prepared. It was prepared by a man who at that time lacked
much taxonomic experience, and who held to a morphotype concept.
Howell worked under the guidance, in the literal sense, of Dr. C. Hart
Merriam. The concept of species and subspecies held by Merriam
fortunately was recorded by him (Jour. Mamm., 1:6-9, November 28,
1919). Merriam's reliance on degree of difference and his disregard of
intergradation were naturally (and necessarily, we think, in Howell's
work in 1906) adopted by Howell. For example, of six specimens from
Point Reyes in west-central California, a place less than ten miles
from the type locality of _Spilogale phenax phenax_, Howell (_op.
cit._:33) assigned one specimen to the subspecies _Spilogale phenax
latifrons_! _S. p. latifrons_ occurs in Oregon and in northern
California--no nearer than 200 miles to Point Reyes. Howell's
assignment of this specimen to _S. p. latifrons_ was not a _lapsus_,
as persons with the modern (geographic) concept of a subspecies would
be likely to suppose. Howell's assignment of the one specimen to _S.
p. latifrons_ and t