18 



MONOGRAPHS OF NOETE AMERICAN RODENTIA. 



to appreciate the exclusive pertinence of any of them, in comparison with 

 our large series, except one — the palatal notch is narrower than in Georgian 

 floridana. But, as already staled, this tendency to narrowness of the palatal 

 notch is a feature, more or less strongly expressed, of all western Neotomas 

 (even cinerea shows it), and, consequently, it loses diagnostic value in this 

 case. The disproportion of tail to trunk seems unusually great (4.25 to 9.10); 

 Imt the tail has been broken and mended, and the skin is greatly distorted — 

 a full inch, it' not two inches, or wore, overstretched. The chief character 

 of "micropns" rests upon the assumption that the gray pelage No. 554 

 shows is permanent. Although this presumption is colored by Dr. Bcrlan- 

 dier's testimony, that, naturalist is as liable to be mistaken as another one; 

 and we are satisfied that Neotonut "micropus" is not a valid species. 



Table II. — Measurements of sixty specimens of Neotoma FLORIDAna from the United States and Mexico. 



