352 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1896. 



Phila(1el[)hia. Plates IX and X contain figures of the type skull of 

 L. a. bangsi drawn by Mr. J. H. Blake of Boston. The remaining 

 figures on Plate X were drawn by myself. 



Although the series of specimens which I was enabled to bring 

 together for study is much larger than any yet examined, it is very 

 deficient in examples from certain parts of America, especially 

 Baffin Land, the Arctic Archipelago and the interior of British 

 America. On this account some of the opinions advanced in this 

 paper may be found to need revision, but it is believed that suffi- 

 cient material has been examined to establish the main conclusions 

 arrived at, and also to indicate the direction in which our further 

 investigations of these mammals should be turned. 



HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE. 



Owino- to the confusion of some authors as to the difference be- 

 tween the European and American Polar Hares, it will be neces- 

 sary first to briefly outline the nomenclature of the former. 



Linnaeus, in the tenth edition of the Sijstema Naturce,^ was the 

 first author to impose a tenable name upon the Polar or Arctic 

 Hare of Europe, the Lepus alhus of Brisson. He gave it the name 

 Lepus timidus, including under that title both it and the Common 

 Hare, Lepus europcBus Pallas.^ Pallas, in 1778, in distinguishing 

 between the two, not only gave a new name to the Common Hare, 

 but renamed the Polar Hare, Lejms variabilis,^ and by this name it 

 has since been known to most authors. 



Tlie description of Linnseus unmistakably refers in all particulars 

 to the Polar Hare rather than to the Common Hare, which, how- 

 ever, he included under the name timidus. Pallas' name for the 

 latter should be retained, while that of Linnaeus continues to belong 

 to the former. 



No series of the Polar Hares of Russia, Siberia or the mountains 

 of Central Europe being available for study in this country, attempt 

 will not be made to give a synopsis of their status or nomenclature. 

 While there is no doubt that the Old AVorld is represented by at 

 least three forms of the timidus group, for which there are available 

 names in literature, it only concerns us, in this connection, to fix 

 the type form and habitat of L. timidus for sake of comparisons be- 



iSyst. Nat, 1758, p. r,7. 

 'Nov. Sp. Glires, 1778, p. 30. 

 Hbid, pp. 1,30. 



