1895.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 241 



NOTES ON THE VARYING HARES OF WASHINGTON AND BRITISH 

 COLUMBIA WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SUB-SPECIES. 



BY SAMUEL N. RHOADS. 



In the determination of the relationships of the Varying Hare, Le- 

 pus americanus, of interior British Columbia it became necessary to 

 handle a larger number of specimens of this group from west of the 

 Rocky Mountains than has hitherto been available for study. This 

 material includes typical specimens of L. washingtoni from near 

 Puget Sound, four winter skins and ten skulls from near the Suoqual- 

 mie Pass, Washington, and four skins and six skulls from Hope, B. ( '., 

 kindly loaned me by Mr. Outram Bangs. It is to be regretted that 

 summer specimens of the Cascade Mountain form from Washing- 

 ton were not available as it is impossible to establish their relations 

 to typical washingtoni in any other way. On this account these 

 notes may be considered as merely preliminary to a more thorough 

 investigation of material now being collected in these regions. 



A comparison of a large series of skulls from the Cascades and 

 lowlands of Washington convinces me that washingtoni is specifi- 

 cally distinct from americanus and it is probable that the form of 

 washingtoni found in the higher Cascades is a well-marked race. 

 The cranial characters, taken from average adult skulls from Maine 

 and Puget Sound, which separate americanus and washingtoni, may 

 be thus stated. 



Ij. americanus L. washingtoni 



Postorbital processes wide, and Postorbital processes slender, 

 flaring their internal posterior J the posterior margins straight or 



margins curved outwardly, their incurved, their points directed 



points directed outwardly and within the lateral sutures of the 



widely separated from frontal frontals, and in older specimens 



bones. Supraorbital processes of nearly touching them. Supraor- 



frontals strongly developed into bital margins of frontals serrate, 



a spur directed outwardly for- sometimes with a single rounded 



ward and forming, with the post- notch. 



orbital process — an anvil-shaped Incisive foramina jointly form- 

 promontory on each side the Iron- inga hastate figure with rounded 

 tals. apex and basally narrower than 



Incisive foramina, together at its median diameter. Great- 

 forming a regular isosceles trian- est triturating width of molars 

 gle the double creuate base being 4.2 mm; basilar length of skull 



