LEPORID^— GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION. 



271 



from Alaska and the northwestern portions of British America. This 

 instance, however, forms the only actual exception to the general law of 

 decrease in size southward. In all the other species, those from the more 

 southern localities are the smaller. Thus, Georgia specimens of Lepus 

 sylvaticus are appreciably smaller than those from about Washington ; speci- 

 mens of variety Nuttatti from Western Texas are smaller than those of the 

 same variety from Deer Creek, Nebraska ; specimens of L. californicus from 

 Cape Saint Lucas are also considerably smaller than those from about San 

 Francisco ; and 1 he same is true of specimens of L. Trowbridgei from these 

 two localities. 



Table I.— Measurements of skulls of American specks and varieties of Lepus, showing variation in size, with 



locality. 



While in the Lepus sylvaticus group, variety sylvaticus shades imper- 

 ceptibly into variety Nuttalli in passing from the wooded region westward 

 to the treeless plains, and while Iowa specimens of sylvaticus are the largest 



