In the register of mammals at the British Museum of Natural History, there appears:
43.3.3.3 Mustela longicauda _Bonap_ N amer presented by Dr. J. Richardson 4 Mustela Richardsonii Bonap " 5 " Cicognanii Bonap "
To the right of these entries there appears, in three lines, the notation: "The three specimens examined by Prince Canino on which he established the three species."
Every part of each of the above entries is in the hand writing of J. E. Gray, in charge of the collections from 1824 to 1840 and associated with them as Keeper until 1875. The three specimens are in good condition considering their age. The catalogue or register number shows, among other things, that they were entered in the register on March 3, 1843.
Questions which might occur to anyone are:
(1) Was there a type specimen of _Mustela Cicognanii_ Bonaparte? If so is it no. 43.3.3.5?
(2) If there was no type specimen was there a type locality? If so what is it?
Among other things that may have bearing on these questions, are these: Bonaparte in Charlesworth's Magazine appears to base the two names _Mustela Richardsonii_ and _Mustela longicauda_ on Richardson's published account of _Mustela erminea_. At any rate immediately following each of the two names, Bonaparte writes "Nob. (_M. erminea_ Rich. F. Bor. Amer.)." Bonaparte's other, first newly proposed name, _Mustela Cicognanii_, in Charlesworth's Magazine has following it only "Nob. North America," although in a paragraph above he did point out that this was the animal which all naturalists, at the time he was in America, considered as _M. vulgaris_.
Turning to Richardson's account (Fauna Boreali Americana, ... Quadrupeds, pp. 45-47. 1829) one finds that he recognized two species, _M. vulgaris_ and _M. erminea_. Of the first he gives measurements "of an old female killed at Carlton House." Of the second species he distinguishes two varieties, the first represented by a specimen, of which he gives measurements, "killed at Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake" and, the second variety "of a larger size, having a longer tail and longer fore-claws" he indicates the size of by giving measurements of a specimen taken "in the neighborhood of Carlton House."
The last variety is clearly the basis of Bonaparte's _M. longicauda_. The specimen from which Richardson took his measurements I have been unable to locate [no. 43.3.3.3 in the British Museum, appears to be another specimen, although of the same subspecies and provided by Richardson].