The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Synopsis Of The North American Lagomorpha, by E. Raymond Hall.

The University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, are offered in exchange for the publications of learned societies and institutions, universities and libraries. For exchanges and information, address the Exchange Desk, University of Kansas Library, Lawrence, Kansas, U. S. A.

This series contains contributions from the Museum of Natural History. Cited as Univ. Kans. Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist.

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

A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha

The most popular small game mammal in nearly every part of North America is one or another of the species of rabbits or hares. The rabbit is one of the few species of wild game that still is hunted commercially and sold for food on the open market. The close association and repeated contact of man with these animals has resulted in his contracting such of their diseases as are transmissible to him. Consequently the rabbits and hares have figured in many investigations concerned with public health and medicine. Because the number of such investigations is increasing, there has been an increasing number of specimens of these animals submitted to mammalogists for identification; also, inquiries are received as to the degree of relationship between two or more of the named kinds of rabbits in which identical, or closely related, disease organisms have been found; other inquiries have to do with the degree of relationship of named kinds of rabbits and hares in widely separated parts of the continent.

The monographs to which the investigator could turn to obtain answers to some of these questions are Arthur H. Howell's "Revision of the American Pikas" (1924), and Edward H. Nelson's "The Rabbits of North America" (1909) published 27 and 42 years ago, respectively. These monographs are still excellent sources of detailed information, as, of course, also is Marcus Ward Lyon's "Classification of the Hares and their Allies" (1904). The acquisition of additional study specimens in recent years, however, has provided new data on the geographic occurrence of several species, and study of these specimens has given basis for a different arrangement of several named kinds of the lagomorphs. Two principal aims of the present synopsis, therefore, are to combine in one publication the current taxonomic arrangement and as much as is known of the geographic distribution of the several species and subspecies.

The maps herewith and listings of marginal localities are the means chosen to present the information on geographic distribution. The artificial key is supplemented by line drawings of skulls of certain species and by a minimum of text to aid the user of the key.[Pg 122] The skulls are necessary for the identification of some species of the genus Sylvilagus. The skins, on the contrary, are essential for the identification of the species of the genus Lepus in central Mexico and in the Great Basin of the western United States. Consequently, it has been impossible to construct a key based on external characters only or on cranial features only. Furthermore, the only apparent differences between a given pair of species in one region may not be apparent in another region where the same two species occur together. A case in point is provided by Sylvilagus floridanus and Sylvilagus nuttallii where the Great Plains meet the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains and where the Sonoran desert meets the southwestern flank of these mountains. The details are described by Hall and Kelson (1951:52, 53) and are indicated in the part of the accompanying artificial key that takes out the species Sylvilagus nuttallii. Because of this geographic change in specific characters and because of the slight amount of difference between certain species of leporids, I have frequently resorted to geography, instead of to morphology alone, in constructing the artificial key. Despite this fault of the key to the lagomorphs, it, and the accompanying account, I hope, will aid workers who need to identify kinds of lagomorphs and to know about their geographic distribution.

Another reason for presenting a synopsis of the lagomorphs at this time is that the presentation may bring suggestions for improvement in the arrangement of the kind of information presented here; an account along similar lines for all of the kinds of mammals native to North America is in prospect. Corrections of, and additions to, the material presented here will be welcomed and I shall be especially grateful for suggestions as to a more useful arrangement of the data.

In arranging the families, genera and species the aim has been, in each category, to list the most primitive members first and to list last the one which presents the highest total of specialization. The term total of specialization is used here, as Miller (1924:2) used it, to denote the sum of the physical modifications which any mammal, or taxonomic category of mammals, is supposed by the author to have undergone during the course of its development away from its original or generalized mammalian stock.

Subspecies of any one species are arranged alphabetically. On the maps, of course, the subspecies are shown in their correct geographic positions.

For each subspecies, or species if it has not been divided into subspecies, there is given (1) the accepted scientific name (selected[Pg 123] in accordance with the rules of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature); (2) a citation to the account in which the terminal part of the name was first proposed (the original description of zoological parlance) followed by a statement of the type locality; (3) a citation to the account in which the combination of names (generic, specific and subspecific) used in the present account first was employed unless the name combination used here is the same as that in the original description; (4) synonyms arranged in chronological order, and (5) marginal record stations of occurrence.

These marginal records are arranged in clockwise order beginning with the northernmost locality. If more than one of the marginal localities lies on the line of latitude that is northernmost for a given kind of mammal, the westernmost of these is recorded first. The marginal localities that are represented by symbols on the corresponding distribution map are in Roman type. Italic type is used for those marginal localities that could not be represented by symbols on the map because undue crowding, or overlapping, of the symbols would have occurred. An understanding of how these localities are arranged and knowledge as to which of these localities are shown on the map will permit a person to associate any symbol on a map with its corresponding place name.

Measurements are in millimeters unless otherwise indicated. Capitalized color terms are after Ridgway (Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, Washington, D. C., 1912), and uncapitalized terms refer to no particular color standard. Several of the drawings of skulls were reproduced originally in the "Mammals of Nevada" (Hall, 1946) and I am grateful to the University of California Press for permission to use them here. Those drawings were made by Miss Viola Memmler. The other drawings are the work of Mrs. Frieda Abernathy, Mrs. Diane (Danley) Sandidge, and Mrs. Virginia (Cassel) Unruh. Initials on the drawings identify the individual's work. The study here reported upon was aided by a contract between the Office of Naval Research, Department of the Navy, and the University of Kansas (NR 161-791). Also, assistance with some of the field work was given by the Kansas University Endowment Association and by Dr. Curt von Wedel. For the corrected dates on several publications I am indebted to Dr. A. Remington Kellogg. For assistance with the organization of the data for the present account I am grateful to several persons, especially to my wife, Mary F. Hall, and to Dr. Keith R. Kelson.[Pg 124]

Order LAGOMORPHA—Hares, Rabbits and Pikas

The order Lagomorpha is old in the geological sense; fossilized bones and teeth of both pikas and rabbits are known from deposits of Oligocene age and even at that early time the structural features distinguishing these animals from other orders were well developed.

A noteworthy character of the order is the presence of four upper incisor teeth (instead of only two as in the Rodentia); also, the fibula is ankylosed to the tibia and articulates with the calcaneum. Each of the first upper incisors has a longitudinal groove on its anterior face.

All lagomorphs are herbivorous. They eat principally leaves and non-woody stems although the bark of sprouts and bushes is taken as second choice by rabbits and hares.

Correlation of structure and function is well illustrated among the lagomorphs by the means which the different species employ to detect and escape from their enemies. A gradient series is evident in which the pikas and jack rabbits are the extremes. The black-tailed jack rabbit, for example, in relation to size of the entire animal, has the longest ears and longest hind legs. This kind of lagomorph takes alarm when an enemy, for example, a coyote, is yet a long way off. The jack rabbit seeks safety in running; even when being overtaken by a pursuer that is close behind, the jack rabbit still relies on its running ability instead of entering thick brush or a hole in the ground where its larger-sized pursuer would be unable to follow. A cottontail has shorter ears and shorter hind legs. It allows the enemy to approach more closely than the jack rabbit does before running, and then, although relying in some measure on its running ability for escape, flees to a burrow or thicket for safety from its pursuer. The brush rabbit with ears and hind legs shorter than those of the cottontail seldom if ever ventures farther than 45 feet away from the edge of dense cover. After an enemy is near, the brush rabbit has merely to scamper back into the brush. Still shorter of ear and hind leg is the pigmy rabbit which ventures outside its burrow to feed only among the tall and closely-spaced bushes of sagebrush among which its burrow is dug. Detection of the slightest movement of an enemy on the opposite side of the bush sends the pigmy rabbit, in one or a few jumps, into[Pg 125] the mouth of its burrow and, if need be, below ground. The pika, with the shortest ears and legs of all, lives in the rock slides and has to do little more than drop off the top of a rock into a space between the broken rocks when an enemy is detected near enough to the pika to have a chance of seizing it.

The number of molts in a year, depending on the kind of lagomorph, varies in adults from one (according to Nelson, 1909:31) in the cottontails (genus Sylvilagus) to as many as three (according to Lyman, 1943, and Severaid, 1945) in the varying hare (Lepus americanus). Difficulties that I have experienced in attempting to account for the variations in color and wear of the pelage of the pika, Ochotona princeps, on the basis of two molts per year, make me wonder if it, too, has three molts. Lepus townsendii certainly has at least two molts per year.

Family Ochotonidae—Pikas

Certain characters in which this family differs from the Leporidae (hares and rabbits) are: hind legs scarcely longer than forelegs; ears short, approximately as wide as high; no postorbital process on frontal; rostrum slender; nasals widest anteriorly; maxilla not conspicuously fenestrated; jugal long and projecting far posteriorly to zygomatic arm of squamosal; no pubic symphysis; one less cheek-tooth above, the dental formula being i. 2/1, c. 0/0, p. 3/2, m. 2/3; second upper maxillary tooth unlike third in form; last lower molar simple (not double) or absent (in the extinct genus Oreolagus); cutting edge of first upper incisor V-shaped; mental foramen situated under last lower molar.

Genus Ochotona Link—Pikas

Characters.—Five teeth (excluding incisor) in lower jaw; first cheek-tooth (p3) with more than one re-entrant angle; columns of lower molars angular[Pg 126] internally; transverse width of any one column of a lower molariform tooth more than double the width of the neck connecting it to the other column.

Subgenus PIKA Lacépède

Characters.—Skull flattened; interorbital region wide; maxillary orifice roundly triangular; palatal foramina separate from anterior palatine foramina.

All of the living members of the family Ochotonidae belong to this genus. American pikas all belong to the subgenus Pika, which occurs also in Eurasia.

The distribution is boreal and the animals live in talus. This broken rock at the foot of a cliff provides interstices in which the animals live and store grass and herbs. These plant materials are cut for food and stacked in piles to dry in the sun, often beneath slabs of rock which protect the hay-piles from rain. Pikas are diurnal, active throughout the year, and have a characteristic call, "chickck-chickck." Young number two to five per litter.

Ochotona collaris (Nelson)
Collared Pika

Marginal records.—Alaska: Mt. McKinley (A. H. Howell, 1924:36). Yukon: head of Coal Creek, Ogilvie Mountains (ibid.). Mackenzie: mile 63E[Pg 127] on Little Keel River, Canol Road (Anderson, 1947:94). Yukon: Macmillan Pass, mile 282, Canol Road (ibid.); Ross River, mile 96, Canol Road (ibid.); vic. Teslin Lake (A. H. Howell, 1924:36). British Columbia: Tagish Lake (ibid.); Stonehouse Creek, 5-1/2 mi. W jct. Stonehouse Creek and Kelsall River (29088 KU). Alaska: Tanana River (A. H. Howell, 1924:36).

Upper parts Drab to Light Drab; underparts creamy white; grayish patch on nape and shoulders; skull broad; tympanic bullae large; total length 189; hind foot, 30.

Ochotona princeps
Pika

Total length, 162-216; hind foot, 25-35; weight of O. p. tulelata, 6 ♂ 121 (108-128), 2 ♀ 121 and 129 grams. Upper parts varying from grayish to Cinnamon-Buff depending on the subspecies; underparts with wash of buff. Eight Nevadan females had an average of 3.1 (2-4) embryos. The mode was 3.

Family Leporidae—Rabbits and Hares

Hind legs longer than forelegs; ears longer than wide; frontal bone carrying supraorbital process consisting always of posterior arm and sometimes of anterior arm; rostrum wide; nasals not wider anteriorly than posteriorly; maxillae conspicuously fenestrated; jugal projecting less than half way from zygomatic root of squamosal to external auditory meatus (except in Romerolagus); pubic symphysis well marked; dental formula, i. 2/1, c. 0/0, p. 3/2, m. 3/3 (but m. 2/3 in Pentalagus of Liu Kiu Islands south of Japan); second upper maxillary tooth like third in form; last lower molar double; cutting edge of first upper incisor straight; mental foramen of mandible situated under first lower cheek-tooth. Females average larger than males in all members of this family. (See Orr, 1940:20.) The reverse is true in most other families of mammals.

Hare is a name applied to any lagomorph whose young are born fully haired, with the eyes open, and able to run about a few minutes after birth. The young are born in the open, not in a nest. All of the species of the genus Lepus are hares. The species of leporids of all genera other than Lepus, in North America at least, are rabbits. Their young are born naked, blind, and helpless, in a nest especially built for them and lined with fur. Considering the degree of development of the young at birth, the gestation periods are about what a person would expect: 26 to 30 days in Sylvilagus and 36 to 47 days in Lepus (see Severaid, 1950:356-357). Vernacular names are misleading because the names jack rabbit and snowshoe rabbit are applied to hares; also, Belgian hare is a name applied to a rabbit (genus Oryctolagus) that is commonly bred in captivity. There are many domestic strains and varieties of Oryctolagus and the animals are second only to poultry in some areas as a protein food for man. Also, the pelts are sold as a source of felt and many of the skins are dyed and processed for making fur coats and other fur-pieces that appear on the market under names not readily associated with rabbit.

Rabbits and hares are crepuscular and possibly more nocturnal than diurnal. So far as I know they do not store food as do their diurnal relatives, the pikas. Some leporids, however, have an unusual, and possibly unique, method of processing food: Two types of vegetable pellets are expelled from the anal opening of the digestive tract; the dark brownish pellets, from which the nutriments[Pg 135] have been extracted, are feces, but the greenish pellets seem to be only slightly predigested foods which are re-eaten. Southern (1942:553), among others, has written about this. This system functionally resembles that in the ruminants where a cud of vegetation is returned to the mouth, from one part of the stomach, to be re-chewed and finally swallowed.

Because the causative organism of a disease that decimates dense populations of small mammals, and some other kinds of vertebrates, was isolated first in leporids, this disease, tularemia, is more associated in the popular mind with rabbits than with other kinds of mammals. Actually, many kinds of mammals are quite as likely to have tularemia as are rabbits. Now that streptomycin is available, cases of tularemia in persons are easily cured.

Genus Romerolagus Merriam—Volcano Rabbit

Total length 300 to 311; tail rudimentary; hind foot, 52; ear from notch (dry), 36; upper parts grizzled buffy brown or dull cinnamon brown; underparts dingy gray; anterior projection of supraorbital process absent; jugal projecting posteriorly past squamosal root of zygomatic arch more than half way to external auditory meatus. The two cranial characters mentioned are resemblances to pikas although the skull otherwise resembles that of the true rabbits. The genus contains only the one living species.

Living in well defined runways in the dense sacoton grass, these small rabbits are mainly nocturnal and crepuscular, but sometimes are active by day, especially in cloudy weather in the period of mating.

Romerolagus diazi (Diaz)
Volcano Rabbit

Genus Sylvilagus Gray—Cottontails and Allies

Total length, 291-538; tail, 18-73; hind foot, 71-110; ear from notch (dry) 41-74. Grayish to dark brownish above and lighter below; sutures of interparietal bone distinct throughout life; second to fourth cervical vertebrae broader than long with dorsal surface flattened and without carination.

The delectable flesh of members of this genus, the large numbers that occur on a small area, even in thickly settled rural areas, and the wariness that rabbits soon develop when much hunted, give them top ranking among small game mammals. Tens of thousands of cottontails in Kansas and Missouri (Sylvilagus floridanus and some S. audubonii) are captured alive, transported to the eastern United States and released there to bolster the local supply of game. Considering that certain ectoparasites are limited to certain hosts and that some ectoparasites transmit such diseases as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever whereas other ectoparasites do not, this transplantation of rabbits is dangerous. Also, expenditure of $100.00 on improving the habitat for Sylvilagus in a given area in the eastern United States would produce more cottontails than the expenditure of the same sum for live animals, from the Middlewest, that are to be released (see Langenbach and Beule, 1942:14, 15 and 30).

Different species venture different distances from cover to feed. The Audubon cottontail of west-central California ventures a hundred feet and more from cover but the brush rabbit was never seen[Pg 139] (Orr, 1940:182) farther than 42 feet from cover. In the thirties, when a gladiolus farmer from the chaparral belt of Santa Clara County, California, visited the University of California seeking advice on how to prevent damage by "cottontails" to his gladioli plantings, we asked the farmer if brush rabbits or cottontails were responsible and suggested to the farmer, who was unable to distinguish between the two, that an animal be killed and submitted for identification. When this was done, the brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani) was found to be responsible for the damage. Robert T. Orr's recommendation that the chaparral (brush) be cut back 45 feet from the gladioli plantings was reluctantly followed and proved to be effective. A letter from a Santa Clara County agricultural official a couple of years later expressed thanks for the recommendation made by Orr, and estimated that adoption of his recommendations saved farmers of that one county $40,000 annually. This incident illustrates how detailed knowledge of the life history of a given kind of animal and control of its environment, rather than direct "control" of the animal, is sometimes of value to man.

The genus Sylvilagus is restricted to the New World; the two species Sylvilagus brasiliensis and S. floridanus are the only two which occur in South America and they occur also in North America.

Subgenus BRACHYLAGUS Miller—Pigmy Rabbit

Sylvilagus idahoensis (Merriam)
Pigmy Rabbit

Marginal records.—In southeastern Washington: Ritzville (Taylor and Shaw, 1929:29); Lind (243344 USBS); Warden (Taylor and Shaw, 1929:29). In remainder of range: Montana: Bannack (Davis, 1937:27). Idaho: Trail Creek near Pocatello (Davis, 1939:366). Utah: 3 mi. NE Clarkson (Durrant, MS); W side Utah Lake (ibid.); 20 mi. W Parowan (ibid.); 10 mi. SW Cedar City (ibid.). Nevada: 8-1/2 mi. NE Sharp (Hall, 1946:618); Fallon (Schantz, 1947:187). California: Bodie (Severaid, 1950:2); 5000 ft., 3 mi. S Ravendale (Orr, 1940:194). Oregon: Silver Lake (Bailey, 1936:110, fig. 17, 206518 USBS); Fremont (ibid., 205005 USBS); Redmond (ibid., 242302 USBS); 10 mi. N Baker (Dice, 1926:27). Idaho: type locality; Junction (Davis, 1939:366).

[Pg 140]

Total length, 250-290; tail, 20-30; hind foot, 65-72; ear from notch (dry), 36-48; weight, 6 ♂ 409(375-435), 9 ♀ 398(246-458) grams. Upper parts pinkish to blackish or dark grayish depending on amount of wear. The pigmy rabbit lives in burrows, mostly dug by itself, preferably where tall sagebrush grows densely. This species feeds extensively on sagebrush, at least in winter. Six young seem to be the rule and they are born any time from late in May until early in August.

Subgenus SYLVILAGUS Gray—Cottontails and Allies

1867. Sylvilagus Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 20 (ser. 3):221. Type, Lepus sylvaticus Bachman [= Lepus nuttalli mallurus Thomas].

1867. Tapeti Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 20 (ser. 3):224, September. Type Lepus brasiliensis Linnaeus.

1897. Microlagus Trouessart, Catalogus Mammalium ..., p. 660. Type, Lepus cinerascens J. A. Allen.

1897. Limnolagus Mearns, Science, n. s., 5:393, March 5. Type Lepus aquaticus Bachman.

1950. Paludilagus Hershkovitz, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 100:333, May 26. Type Lepus palustris Bachman.

Characters of subgeneric worth, in contrast to those of the subgenus Brachylagus, are: First premolar, in upper jaw and in lower jaw, with more than one fold in the enamel; infolded enamel, which divides each molar tooth into two parts, crenate.

The many nominal species of the subgenus Sylvilagus belong to no more than 12 and perhaps to only ten full species. The now more abundant specimens than were available a half century ago reveal also that there are less trenchant differences between some of the species than were supposed to exist when the five names for genera or subgenera listed immediately above were proposed. Some species can be placed in each of two subgenera with almost equal propriety. If used, four of the five subgeneric names mentioned above would contain only one species each. It seems that no useful purpose is served by attempting to fit the several species of the genus Sylvilagus into more than the two subgenera Brachylagus and Sylvilagus; the other names, Tapeti Gray, Microlagus Trouessart, Limnolagus Mearns, and Paludilagus Hershkovitz, are here arranged as synonyms of the subgeneric name Sylvilagus Gray.

Sylvilagus brasiliensis
Forest Rabbit

Total length, 380-420; tail, 20-21; hind foot, 77-80; ear from notch (dry), 39-46. The principal characters of this species are small size, dark color, short tail, and dingy buffy (not white) undersurface of the tail. These rabbits rest in forests or other thick vegetative cover and do not venture far from such cover to feed.

Sylvilagus bachmani
Brush Rabbit

Size small. Total length, 300-375; tail, 20-43; hind foot, 64-81; ear from notch (dry), 50-64; weight (topotypes of S. b. macrorhinus) 16 ♂ 679 (561-832), 22 ♀ 707 (517-843) grams. Body uniformly dark brown or brownish gray, but tail whitish beneath; hair on midventral part of body gray at base; only a slight crenulation of ridge of enamel which separates an individual molariform tooth into anterior and posterior sections. From Sylvilagus audubonii, the only other species of Sylvilagus in the same geographic area, S. bachmani differs in smaller size, less white on underparts (the hairs on the midventral part of the body being gray instead of white at base), shorter ears and legs, and a less crenulated ridge of enamel separating the anterior and posterior parts of a molariform tooth.

The brush rabbit is a Pacific Coastal species; as may be seen from figure 9 on the next page, this species occurs from the Columbia River on the north to the tip of Baja California on the south. Nowhere, so far as I can learn, does it occur as far east as the crest of the Cascade-Sierra Nevada Mountain Chain. Throughout its range the brush rabbit is closely associated with—in fact, lives in—the chaparral that is dense enough to afford protection from raptorial birds and the larger carnivorous mammals. The rabbit's[Pg 144] reliance on protective cover is so great that, as pointed out on an earlier page, a person can turn this trait to advantage in protecting cultivated crops from inroads that the rabbits might make on them. The protection is afforded by clearing the brush from a strip forty-five feet wide so that the cleared strip intervenes between the cultivated crops and the brushy shelter. The rabbits will not risk crossing the open strip and hence do not reach the growing crops.

Brush rabbits use simple "forms" in the brush for resting. Only one observer (Orr, 1940: 173) has reported an individual entering a hole. In patches of chaparral in which the rabbits live they make runways that are especially well defined at the edges of the brush. The outer entrance to a runway is tunnellike and one to two feet from the outer entrance there is a special form that serves as a lookout post. A brush rabbit that is about to venture into the open ordinarily pauses in such a form for several minutes, presumably to satisfy itself that no enemy is in the open area whither the rabbit is bound.

The breeding season is from January to June, at least in California. There are 2 to 5 young, averaging 3.5 per litter. They are born in a nest.[Pg 145]

Sylvilagus mansuetus
Brush Rabbit

This insular species is closely related to Sylvilagus bachmani and is distinguished by paleness, proportionately longer and narrower skull, fusion to skull of anterior arm of supraorbital process, and larger jugal.

Sylvilagus palustris
Marsh Rabbit
(See figure 42)

Total length, 425-440; tail, 33-39; hind foot, 88-91; ear from notch (dry), 45-52. Upper parts blackish brown or reddish brown; underside of tail brownish or dingy gray (not white); ears, tail and hind feet short; posterior and anterior extensions of supraorbital processes joined to skull along most (or all) of their extent. The lack of white on the underside of the tail is a ready means of distinguishing this species from the other species of the genus which occur within its geographic range. The species occurs in the lowlands, possibly not above 500 feet altitude, of the Lower Austral and Tropical life-zones. In Florida, Blair (1936) found that the marsh rabbit ate 29 per cent of its bodily weight in green food each day and that the number of embryos in 3 females was 4, 4 and 3.

Sylvilagus floridanus
Florida Cottontail

Total length, 375-463; tail, 39-65; hind foot, 87-104; ear from notch (dry), 49-68; upper parts brownish or grayish; underside of tail white; skull with transversely thick posterior extension of supraorbital process of frontal. The geographic range is the largest of all of the North American species of the genus Sylvilagus; from Canada the species occurs south at least to Costa Rica and it may occur in Panamá for the species is recorded also from South America.

In the western part of the Great Plains this species is confined to the riparian growth along streams and Sylvilagus audubonii occupies the remainder of the terrain. In New Mexico and southwestern Texas S. floridanus is confined to the boreal life-zones where timber provides denser cover than is found in the lower life-zones. The zonal range is from the Canadian Life-zone into the Tropical Life-zone. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is much geographic variation in the shape and size of the skull. There is so much geographic variation in the skull that it is impossible, at this writing at least, to frame a description that will enable the reader to distinguish the skull from those of all other species of the genus. In any given area, however, it is possible, easily and certainly, to distinguish the skulls of S. floridanus from those of the other species which occur in that area.

1899. Lepus floridanus chapmani J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 12:12, March 4, type from Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas.

1904. Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) floridanus chapmani, Lyon, Smiths. Misc. Coll., 45:336, June 15.

1899. Lepus floridanus caniclunis Miller, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 388, October 5, type from Fort Clark, Kinney County, Texas.

1902. Lepus simplicicanus Miller, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 15:81, April 25, type from Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas.

1896. Lepus sylvaticus holzneri Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 18:554, June 24, type from Douglas spruce zone, near summit of Huachuca Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona.

1904. Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) floridanus holzneri, Lyon, Smiths. Misc. Coll., 45:336, June 15.

1896. [Lepus sylvaticus] subspecies rigidus Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 18:555, June 24, type from Carrizalillo Mts., near monument No. 31, Mexican boundary line, Grant County, New Mexico.

1903. Lepus (Sylvilagus) durangae J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 19:609, November 12, type from Rancho Bailon, northwestern Durango.

1898. L[epus]. n[uttalli]. mallurus Thomas, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 2(ser. 7):320, October, type from Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina.

1904. Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus, Lyon, Smiths. Misc. Coll., 45:323, June 15.

1837. Lepus sylvaticus Bachman, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 7:403, no type or type locality. Name given to the "common gray rabbit" of the eastern United States and probably with particular reference to the animal in South Carolina. Name preoccupied by Lepus borealis sylvaticus Nilson, 1832, from Sweden.

Marginal records.—Minnesota: Fertile (Swanson, Surber and Roberts, 1945:97); Duluth (ibid.). Michigan: Marquette County (Burt, 1946:249). Ontario: Lake Simcoe (Miller, 1924:464). Quebec (Anderson, 1947): Montreal (p. 103); Quebec-side Ottawa River in Laurentian Hills (p. 104). New York: "eastern New York" (Hamilton, 1943:383). Pennsylvania: Lopez (Nelson, 1909:172). West Virginia: 7 mi. E Phillipi (Kellogg, 1937:473); Gilboa (ibid.). Illinois: Sangamon (Nelson, 1909:172). Kansas: Neosho Falls (5104 KU); 1 mi. N and 1/2 mi. E Lincolnville (12964 KU); 6 mi. SW Clay Center (12398 KU); Strawberry (4510 KU). Minnesota: Otter Tail County (Surber, 1932:74).

Sylvilagus transitionalis (Bangs)
New England Cottontail

Total length, 388; tail, 39; hind foot, 95; ear from notch (dry), 52. Upper parts almost pinkish buff, varying to almost ochraceous buff; back overlaid by a distinct black wash giving a penciled effect; anterior extension of supraorbital process obsolete or short and closely appressed to orbital rim; tympanic bullae small, smaller than in any subspecies of S. floridanus in the United States. S. transitionalis is a forest-inhabiting species—more so than is S. floridanus.

Sylvilagus nuttallii
Nuttall Cottontail
(See figure 39)

Total length, 350-390; tail, 44-50; hind foot, 88-100; ear from notch (dry), 55-56; weight in Nevada, ♂ 678, 3 ♀ 928 (868-1032) grams. Hind feet densely covered with long hair; ear short; tympanic bulla of moderate size. In the northern part of its range S. nuttallii occurs principally in the sagebrush areas but it occurs also in the timbered areas of the Transition Life-zone and almost exclusively in timbered areas in the southern part of its range. From S. floridanus, S. nuttallii along the eastern margin of its range differs in more slender rostrum, and larger external auditory meatus. In New Mexico and Arizona, S. nuttallii differs from S. floridanus in the posteriorly pointed and un-notched supraoccipital shield and in the posterior extension of the supraorbital process, the tip of which projects free from the braincase or merely lies against the braincase instead of being firmly welded to the side of the skull. From S. audubonii, S. nuttallii differs in shorter ears, smaller tympanic bullae and smaller hind legs; S. nuttallii usually occurs at higher elevations, or where the two occur at approximately the same elevation S. nuttallii occurs in wooded or brushy areas and S. audubonii lives on the plains or in relatively open country. Eight females contained an average of 6.1 (4-8) embryos.

Marginal records.—Alberta: Steveville (Anderson, 1943:25). Saskatchewan (ibid.): Cypress Hills; Johnston Lake; Big Muddy Lake. North Dakota:[Pg 162] Goodall (V. Bailey, 1927:137). South Dakota: Custer (Nelson, 1909:207). Wyoming: 2 mi. W Horse Creek P. O. (15935 KU); Sherman (Nelson, 1909:207). Colorado: Meeker (Warren, 1942:272). Utah (Nelson, 1909:207): Mt. Ellen; "Upper Kanab"; Panguitch. Nevada (Hall, 1946:612): 1/4 mi. W Utah-Nev. boundary, 38° 17´ N, 7300 ft.; S end Belted Range, 5 mi. NW Whiterock Spring, 7200 ft.; Chiatovich Creek, 7000 ft.; 2-1/2 mi. E and 1 mi. S Grapevine Peak, 6700 ft.; Charleston Park, Kyle Cañon, 8000 ft. California (Orr, 1940:103): Johnson Canyon, 6500 ft.; nr. Woodfords, 5500 ft. Nevada (Hall, 1946:612): Calvada; Hardscrabble Canyon; Paradise Valley. Idaho (Davis, 1939:363): S. Fork Owyhee River, 12 mi. N Nevada line; Crane Creek, 15 mi. E Midvale; Lemhi. Montana: 4 mi. W Hamilton (Jellison, MS); 2 mi. N Moise Lake (ibid.). Alberta: Cardston (Anderson, 1947:105).

Marginal records.—British Columbia: Anarchist Mtn., Osoyoos (Cowan, 1940:9). Washington: Kettle Falls (Dalquest, 1941:408). Idaho: Couer d' Alene (Rust, 1946:322); Lewiston (Davis, 1939:361); Fiddle Creek (ibid.). Nevada (Hall, 1946:612): 5800 ft., Quinn River Crossing; 1/2 mi. S Granite Cr., Granite Mts.; Smoke Creek, 9 mi. E California line; 4-1/2 mi. S Flanigan. California: Truckee (Orr, 1940:101); Beckwith (ibid.); Weed (Orr, 1940:100); Yreka (ibid.). Oregon (V. Bailey, 1936:107): near Ashland; Bend; The Dalles. Washington: Grand Dalles (Taylor and Shaw, 1929:29); Yakima Valley (ibid.); Douglas (Nelson, 1909:203).

Sylvilagus audubonii
Audubon Cottontail

Total length, 350-420; tail, 45-75; hind foot, 75-100; ear from notch (dry), 55-70; weight of S. a. vallicola, 7 ♂ 912 (835-988), 2 ♀ 1096, 1191 grams. Long hind legs, long ears, sparseness of hair on the ears, shortness of hair on the feet, prominent (upturned) supraorbital process of the skull and much inflated tympanic bullae are characters of this wide-spread species. Embryos in 19 Californian females averaged 3.6 (2-6) per female.[Pg 163]

1877. [Lepus sylvaticus] var. arizonae J. A. Allen, Monogr. North Amer. Rodentia, p. 332, August, type from Beals Spring, Yavapai Co., Arizona.

1909. Sylvilagus auduboni arizonae, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:222, August 31.

1896. Lepus arizonae major Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 18:557, June 24, type from Calabasas, Pima County, Arizona.

1904. Lepus laticinctus Elliot, Field Columb. Mus., publ. 87, zool. ser., 3:254, January 7, type from Oro Grande, Mohave Desert, San Bernardino County, California.

1904. Lepus l[aticinctus]. rufipes Elliot, Field Columb. Mus., publ. 87, zool. ser., 3:254, January 7, type from Furnace Cr., Inyo Co., California.

Marginal records.—Montana: Great Falls of the Missouri (Nelson, 1909:234). North Dakota: Wade on the Cannonball River (V. Bailey, 1927:138). South Dakota: Corral Draw (Nelson, 1909:234). Nebraska: Glen (ibid.). Kansas: 2-1/2 mi. S and 4 mi. W Oberlin (19035 KU); Wakeeney (1203 KU). Colorado (Nelson, 1909:234): Monon; The Cedars; Quenda [=Querida]; Salida. Wyoming: 1/2 mi. W Horse Creek P. O. (15948 KU). Colorado (Nelson, 1909:234): White Rock [2 mi. above Meeker, 6400 ft.]; 20 mi. SW Rangely. Utah (Durrant, MS): 8 mi. S Myton; 6 mi. NW Duchesne; 10 mi. E Mountain Home. Wyoming (Nelson, 1909:234): Ft. Bridger; Big Piney; Circle. Montana: Stillwater (ibid.). Phillips Creek, Montana (Nelson 1909:234) not found.

Sylvilagus aquaticus
Swamp Rabbit

Total length, 530-540; tail, 67-71; hind foot, 105-110; length of ear from notch (dry), 63-67. Upper parts blackish brown or reddish brown; underparts with some white; under side of tail white; skull robust; posterior extensions of supraorbital processes joined for their entire length with side of braincase or, in some specimens, with a small foramen between the braincase and the base of the posterior extension of the supraorbital process. This big rabbit is a stronger runner than the smaller marsh rabbit and is easily distinguished from the smaller species by larger size and white, instead of brownish or grayish, underside of the tail.

1837. Lepus aquaticus Bachman, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 7:319, type locality western Alabama.

1909. Sylvilagus aquaticus, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:270, August 31.

1895. Lepus aquaticus attwateri J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 7:327, November 8, type from Medina River, 18 mi. S San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas.

1899. Lepus telmalemonus Elliot, Field Columb. Mus., publ. 38, zool. ser., 1:285, May 25, type from Washita River, near Dougherty, Murray County, Oklahoma.

Marginal records.—Illinois: 6 mi. N Sesser (Cockrum, 1949:427). Indiana: Point Township (Harrison and Hickie, 1931:319). Tennessee: 5 mi. W Hornbeak (Kellogg, 1939:292); Henryville (A. H. Howell, 1909:63). Alabama: Huntsville (Nelson, 1909:273); Big Crow Creek near Stevenson (A. H. Howell, 1921:71). South Carolina: "about" 3 mi. SE Westminster (F. Sherman, 1939:259); "about" 5 mi. W Iva (ibid.). Georgia: Fulton County (ibid.); Lumpkin (Nelson, 1909:273). Alabama: Castleberry (ibid.). Louisiana: Covington (Lowery, 1936:32); Kleinpeter (ibid.). Texas (Nelson, 1909:273): Sourlake; Richmond; Medina River, 18 mi. SW San Antonio; Gurley. Oklahoma: 7 mi. NW Stillwater (Blair, 1939:129). Kansas: Crawford County (8826 KU). Arkansas: along White River near Springdale (Black, 1936:34). Missouri: 3 mi. SW Udall (Leopold and Hall, 1945:145). Arkansas: White River near Augusta (Dellinger and Black, 1940:190). Missouri: St. Francis River, W of Senath (Nelson, 1909:273).

Sylvilagus insonus (Nelson)
Omilteme Cottontail
(See figure 39)

Total length, 435; tail, 42.5; hind foot, 95; ear from notch (dry), 61. Color grayish brown above and dingy (not white) below; tail dingy buffy below and dull rusty brown above. The collectors thought that the species was restricted to the forested parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur between 7000 and 10,000 feet altitude in the Mexican state of Guerrero.

Sylvilagus cunicularius
Mexican Cottontail

Total length, 485-515; tail, 54-68; hind foot, 108-111; ear from notch (dry), 60-63. Pelage coarse; upper parts brownish gray; skull massive; posterior extensions of supraorbital processes varying from those that project free to those that have the tips, or tips and a considerable part of the processes, attached to the braincase.

Sylvilagus graysoni (J. A. Allen)
Tres Marias Cottontail

Total length, 480; tail, 51; hind foot, 99; ear from notch (dry), 57. This insular species is closely related to Sylvilagus cunicularius of the adjacent mainland but has notably shorter ears and more reddish on the upper parts, sides and legs; the skull is slenderer, es[Pg 170]pecially in the rostral region. The posterior extensions of the supraorbital process are united to the braincase throughout most of their length as in Sylvilagus palustris. The species seems to have a narrow vertical range, occurring from sea level up to only 200 feet.

Genus Lepus Linnaeus—Hares and Jack Rabbits

1758. Lepus Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, ed. 10, 1:57. Type Lepus timidus Linnaeus.

1895. Macrotolagus Mearns, Science, n. s., 1:698, June 21. Type, Lepus alleni Mearns. (See Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 18:552, June 24, 1896.)

1904. Poecilolagus Lyon, Smiths. Misc. Coll., 45:395, June 15. Type, Lepus americanus Erxleben.

1904. Lagos Palmer. N. Amer. Fauna, 23:361, January 23. Type, Lepus arcticus Ross. Lagos J. Brooks, a catalogue of the anatomical and zoological museum, pt. 1, p. 54, July, 1828, appears to be a nomen nudum.

1911. Boreolepus Barrett-Hamilton, History of the British Mammalia, pt. 9, p. 160, November 17. Type, Lepus groenlandicus Rhoads. (For status see Sutton and Hamilton, Mem. Carnegie Mus., 12 (pt. 2, sec. 1):78, August 4, 1932; also A. H. Howell, Jour. Mamm., 17:331, November 16.)

Total length, 363-664; tail, 25-112; hind foot, 112-189; ear from notch (dry), 62-144. Upper parts grayish, brownish or black; interparietal bone fused to surrounding bones; cervical vertabrae long, 2nd and 3rd being longer than wide; transverse processes of lumbar vertabrae long, the longest one equal to the length of the centrum to which it is attached plus half of the length of the preceding centrum; free extremity of transverse process of lumbar vertebra considerably expanded; distance from anterior edge of acetabulum to extreme anterior point of ilium less than distance from former point to most distant point of ischium; ulna reduced in size along middle part of shaft, and, excepting the lower extremity, placed almost entirely behind radius.

All members of the genus Lepus are technically hares, as these are defined in the account of the family Leporidae. The largest members of the order Lagomorpha are members of the genus Lepus. No domestic strains have been developed but effort in this direction might be profitable, in as much as the so-called Belgian hares of the related genus, Oryctolagus, have done well in captivity.

In the past it has been customary to recognize two or more subgenera of the genus Lepus. The species are a less diverse lot than[Pg 171] those in some other genera, however, and it seems that no useful purpose is served by recognizing subgenera. Accordingly, the several names proposed for this purpose are arranged here as synonyms of the generic name Lepus Linnaeus.

The introduction of the European Hare (Lepus europaeus) into the eastern part of the North American Continent has been successful in the sense that the animal is multiplying. If it continues to increase, the increase almost certainly will be at the expense of some native species of rabbit. This circumstance and the unfortunate consequences of the introduction of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in New Zealand (see Wodzicki, 1950:107-141) and Australia (see Stead, 1925:355-358) give basis for effort to exterminate the alien species before it spreads more widely.

Lepus americanus
American Varying Hare

Total length, 363-520; tail, 25-55; hind foot, 112-150; ear from notch (dry), 62-70. Upper parts brownish or dusky grayish; hind feet brownish or white depending on subspecies; winter pelage white except in certain populations along Pacific Coast; basilar length less than 67; first upper incisors inscribing an arc of a circle[Pg 174] the radius of which is less than 9.6 mm. There are two to six young in a litter according to Orr (1940:59).

1777. [Lepus] americanus Erxleben, Systema Regni Animalis ..., 1:330, type locality Hudson Bay, Canada.

1778. Lepus hudsonius Pallas, Glires, p. 30, type locality not stated.

1790. Lepus nanus Schreber, Säugethiere, 4:880-885, pl. 234B, a composite of Lepus americanus and Sylvilagus floridanus. No type or type locality designated. Range given as from Hudson Bay to Florida.

1899. Lepus bishopi J. A. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 12:11, March 4, type from Mill Lake, Turtle Mts., North Dakota (inseparable from L. a. americanus according to V. Bailey, N. Amer. Fauna, 49:138, January 8, 1927 [not December, 1926]).

Marginal records (Nelson, 1909:89, unless otherwise noted).—Keewatin: Hudson Bay (Anderson, 1947:100). Ontario: Fort Severn (Nelson, 1909:88); around shore of Hudson Bay to approximately 56° N thence to Ungava: Fort Chimo. Labrador: Hamilton Inlet. Ontario: North Bay of Lake Nipissing; Michipicoten Island; Isle Royal (Anderson, 1947:100). Manitoba: Dog Lake. Saskatchewan: Indian Head. North Dakota (V. Bailey, 1927:139): Mill Lake, Turtle Mts.; Grafton; "near" Fargo; Elbowoods; Buford. Saskatchewan: Battle Creek (Soper, 1946:149). Alberta: Red Deer; 50 mi. N Edmonton; Fort Chipewyan; Govt. Hay Camp, Slave River (Soper, 1942:140).

Marginal records.—British Columbia: Elko (Anderson, 1947:100); Waterton Lakes Nat'l Park (ibid.). Montana (Nelson, 1909:112): Fort Benton; Big Snowy Mts. Wyoming: 5 mi. E and 9 mi. N Pinedale (15924 KU); 3 mi. ESE Browns Peak (17603 KU). Colorado: Boulder Co. (Nelson, 1909:112). New Mexico: 10,500 ft., Agua Fria Mtn. (Hill, 1942:82); Pecos Baldy (V. Bailey, 1932:45); Chama (ibid.). Utah (Durrant, MS unless otherwise noted): 18 mi. SE Manila; 30 mi. N Fort Duchesne; 23 mi. N Fruitland; 21 mi. N Escalante; 10 mi. E Marysvale; City Creek Canyon, Salt Lake City (Barnes, 1927:145). Idaho (Dalquest, 1942:181): Pocatello; Payette; Cuddy Mtn.; Weippe; Bitterroot Valley. British Columbia: Newgate (Anderson, 1947:100).

1825. Lepus virginianus Harlan, Fauna Americana, p. 196, type locality Blue Mountains, northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

1875. Lepus americanus var. virginianus, J. A. Allen, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 17:431, February 17.

1825. Lepus wardii Schinz, Das Thierreich ..., 4:428, based on the varying hare of the southern part of the United States (Warden, D. B., in A statistical, political, and historical account of the United States of North America ..., 1:233, 1819).

1845. Lepus borealis Schinz, Synopsis Mammalium, 2:286-287. No type or type locality mentioned. From Virginia and the Alleghenies.

Lepus othus
Alaskan Hare

Total length, 565-690; tail, 53-104; hind foot, 147-189; ear from notch (dry), 75-78. Color brownish in summer; white in winter; but tips of ears always black. General comparisons indicate that this is the species which, in Eurasia, bears the name Lepus timidus.

Lepus arcticus
Arctic Hare

Total length, 480-678; tail, 34-80; hind foot, 132-174; ear from notch (dry), 70-84. Upper parts gray in summer in southern subspecies; in others white; in winter white in all subspecies, except black tips of ears. Weights of lean individuals reach 12 pounds. Hopping on the hind feet without touching the forefeet to the ground has repeatedly been recorded for this species. There are four to eight young in a litter.

1896. Lepus groenlandicus Rhoads, Amer. Nat., 30:254(=237 of March issue), author's separates (preprints) issued February 20, type from Robertson Bay, NW Greenland.

1934. [Lepus arcticus] groenlandicus, Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 47:83, March 8.

1912. Boreolepus groenlandicus, Barrett-Hamilton, Hist. British Mammals, pt. 12, p. 298, October.

1930. Lepus variabilis hyperboreus Pedersen, Medd. om Grönland, 77:363, no type or type locality designated but name applied to hares of east Greenland in the general vicinity of Scoresby Sound (preoccupied by Lepus hyperboreas Pallas, Zoogeographica Rosso Asiatica, 1:152, 1831, a species of Ochotona).

1934. Lepus arcticus persimilis Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 47:84, March 8, type from S side Clavering Island, east Greenland.

Lepus townsendii
White-tailed Jack Rabbit

Total length, 565-655; tail, 66-112; hind foot, 145-172; ear from notch (dry), 96-113. Upper parts grayish brown; tail all white or with dusky or buffy mid-dorsal stripe which does not extend onto back; white in winter in northern parts of its range. Two adult males weighed 2945 and 2494 grams (Orr, 1940:43) and there are 3 to 6 young in a litter.

Marginal records (Nelson, 1909:78, unless otherwise noted).—Saskatchewan: Indian Head (Nelson, 1909:77). Manitoba: Carberry (ibid.). Ontario: Rainy River (Anderson, 1947:100). Minnesota (Swanson, Surber and Roberts, 1945:97): Polk County; Otter Tail County; Sherburne County: Washington County. Illinois: Blanding, 6 mi. WNW Hanover (Hoffmeister, 1948:1). Kansas: Red Fork, 60 mi. W Fort Riley; Greensburg (Brown, 1940:387). New Mexico: "near" Taos (V. Bailey, 1932:47); Hopewell. Colorado: Antonito; Fort Garland; Villa Grove; Salida; Como; Denver; Mt. Whitely, 25 mi. N Kremmling. Wyoming: Spring Creek; Big Piney; head Glenn Creek, Yellowstone Nat'l Park. Alberta: Great Plains region (Anderson, 1947:99).

Marginal records (Nelson, 1909:82, unless otherwise noted).—British Columbia: Fairview, Okanagan Valley. Idaho: Rathdrum Prairie (Rust, 1946:322); Lemhi River; Teton Basin. Wyoming: Hamsfork; Henrys Fork. Colorado: Hot Sulphur Springs; Mt. Baldy; Crested Butte; Mill City. Utah: Kanab. Nevada (Hall, 1946:600): Hamilton; Desatoya Mts.; Santa Rosa Mts. California: Parker Creek, 6300 ft., Warner Mts. Nevada (Hall, 1946:600): 8600 ft., 3 mi. S Mt. Rose; 8900 ft., Lapon Canyon, Mt. Grant; Mt. Magruder. California (Orr, 1940:43): Tuolumne Meadows; Woodfords; Tahoe City; 4700 ft., Steele Meadows. Oregon: Antelope. Washington: Manson (Dalquest, 1948:382).

Lepus californicus
Black-tailed Jack Rabbit

Total length, 465-630; tail, 50-112; hind foot, 112-145; ear from notch (dry), 99-131. Upper parts gray to blackish; tail with black mid-dorsal stripe extending onto back; never all white in winter. On the tableland of Mexico and in the southwestern United States where this species occurs together with the white-sided jack rabbits, L. californicus can be recognized by the terminal black patch on the outside of each ear and by the less extensive area of white on the flank. To the eastward, in Tamaulipas, where only the black-tailed jack rabbit occurs, it too, has extensively white flanks and some individuals lack the terminal black patch on the ear.

A certain means for distinguishing the skulls of the black-tailed jack rabbit from those of all of the white-sided jack rabbits has not yet been found. The same is true of the skulls of the white-tailed jack rabbit and the black-tailed jack rabbit in the Great Basin region of Nevada. The skulls, at least of adults, of these two species, in the[Pg 182] region east of the Rocky Mountains can be readily distinguished by the pattern of infolding of the enamel on the front of the first upper incisor teeth; L. townsendii has a simple groove on the anterior face of the tooth and L. californicus, east of the Rocky Mountains, has a bifurcation, or even trifurcation, of the infold that can readily be seen by examining the occlusal surface of the incisor.

In Arizona, Vorhies and Taylor (1933:478) found the weight of 23 adult males to average 5.1 (4.4-6.1) lbs. In that state, 70 pregnant females averaged 2.24 (1-6) young per litter and the authors (op. cit.) thought that a female had three or four litters each year.

1896. Lepus texianus deserticola Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 18:564, June 24, type from western edge Colorado Desert, at base of Coast Range Mts., Imperial County, California.

1909. Lepus californicus deserticola, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:137, August 31.

1932. Lepus californicus depressus Hall and Whitlow, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 45:71, April 2, type from 1/2 mi. S. Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho. (Regarded as inseparable from L. c. deserticola by Davis, The Recent Mammals of Idaho, p. 359, April 5, 1939.)

Lepus insularis Bryant
Black Jack Rabbit

Total length, 574; tail, 96; hind foot, 121; ear from notch (dry), 105. This insular species, clearly a close relative of Lepus californicus of the adjacent peninsula of Baja California, is mainly glossy black on the upper parts but grizzled and suffused on sides of back and body, and in some specimens on head, with dark buffy or reddish brown; underparts dark cinnamon buffy or dusky brown; ears and sides of head grayish dusky; jugals heavier than in Lepus californicus of the adjacent peninsula of Baja California.

Lepus callotis Wagler
White-sided Jack Rabbit

Total length, 560; tail, 71; length of hind foot, 133; ear from notch (dry), 117. Upper parts dark, slightly pinkish, buff heavily washed with black; backs of ears mainly white without terminal patch of black; flanks white; rump iron gray.

Lepus flavigularis Wagner
Tehuantepec Jack Rabbit

Total length, 595; tail, 77; hind foot, 133; ear from notch (dry), 112. Upper parts bright ochraceous buff strongly washed with black; ears entirely buff; nape with black stripe extending back from base of each ear and median stripe of buff; flanks and underparts of body white; rump iron gray; tympanic bullae smaller than in any other Lepus of México.

Lepus gaillardi
Gaillard Jack Rabbit

Total length, 450-536; tail, 59-80; hind foot, 124-133; ear from notch (dry), 110-112. Coloration essentially as in Lepus callotis except that nape is plain buff, without a trace of black, and upper parts paler, more vinaceous buff.

Lepus alleni
Antelope Jack Rabbit

Total length, 553-670; tail, 48-76; hind foot, 127-150, ear from notch, in flesh, 138-173. Top and sides of head creamy buff, slightly washed on top with black; tail white except for mid-dorsal line of black extending onto rump; sides of shoulders, flanks, sides of abdomen, rump, and outside of hind legs uniform iron gray. The average weight of 61 adult males from Arizona was 8.2 lbs. In that state 124 pregnant females had an average of 1.93 young (1-5) and Vorhies and Taylor (1933:580) thought that a female had three or four litters per year.[Pg 189]

Lepus europaeus
European Hare

Total length, 640-700; tail, 70-100; hind foot, 130-150; ear from notch (dry), 79-100; weight, 3000 to 5000 grams. Upper parts tawny, mixed with blackish hairs on back; underparts white including underside of tail; upper side of tail and terminal patch at distal end of outside of ears black; upper side of feet tawny like sides (not white or whitish). This is an introduced species.

LITERATURE CITED

1936. The Florida Marsh rabbit. Jour. Mamm., 17:197-207, August 17.

1938. A new race of the eastern cottontail from the Texas Panhandle. Occas. Papers, Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan, no. 380:1-3, June 21.

1939. Faunal relationships and geographic distribution of mammals in Oklahoma. Amer. Midl. Natur., 22:85-133, 1 fig., July.

1940. A contribution to the ecology and faunal relationships of the mammals of the Davis Mountain Region, Southwestern Texas. Misc. Publ., Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan, 46:1-39, 3 pls., June 28.

Transmitted May 8, 1951. Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.

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