SACCOMYIDJE— rEROGNATHIDIN^E— P. niSPIDUS. 513 



PEROGNATHUS HISPIDUS, Baird. 



Hispid Pocket-mouse. 



Ferognathus hinpidus, Baird, M. N. A. 1857, 421, pi. 51, tig. ia-g. — Baird, U. S. and Mex. B. Snrv. ii, pt. 

 ii, 1859, Mamm. 42.— Gray, P. Z. S. 1868, 202 (compiled).— Coues, Proc. Phila. Acad. 1875, 

 296 (rediscussed, but without material additional to that iu Baird's hands in 1857). 



Diagnosis. — Ear small, not projecting beyond the fur; its structure as 

 in P. fasciatus and penicillatus (tragus and antitragus both lobed). Soles 

 naked. Tail not penicillate, rather longer than head and body. Fur exceed- 

 ingly stiff and coarse. Above, yellowish-cinnamon, closely lined with blackish, 

 the color not descending on the fore leg at all. Sides with a conspicuous 

 fulvous stripe. Tail bicolor. Under parts, with hind feet and whole of fore 

 leg, white. 



Length between 3.00 and 3.50 ; tail rather more. Sole of hind foot 0.90. 



Habitat. — The only two specimens known of this species were procured 

 by Lieut. D. N. Couch at Charco Escondido and Matamoras, Tamaulipas. 



Since the introduction of this species, as above, no additional specimens 

 have come to hand ; and as we have no further material for amplification or 

 verification of the original description, there is little more to be said about it 

 at present. The animal appears to be perfectly distinct from any other 

 described in this paper. With much the same size and proportions as those 

 of P. monticola, it is immediately distinguished by the radical difference in 

 the conformation of the ear, the stouter as well as rather longer feet, and the 

 whiteness of the whole fore leg. From penicillatus it differs in the much 

 shorter and not penicillate tail, less extensively denuded soles, and presence 

 of a strong lateral fulvous stripe. It is decidedly smaller than P. fasciatus, 

 with which it shares the fulvous stripe, with a tail longer instead of shorter 

 than the body ; ears scarcely half as large, &c. From all these species, finally, 

 it differs in the extraordinarily harsh, stiff, coarse hair ; this is of great length 

 and devoid of under fur, as in other species, but represents, in an exagger- 

 ated degree, the pelage which is characteristic of the genus in distinction 

 both from Dipodomys and Cricetoiipus. 



The coloration of the species cannot be given with sufficient accuracy. 

 Both the specimens have been skinned out of alcohol, and the tints are prob- 

 ably somewhat modified. One of them has been so discolored by long immer- 

 sion in a dirty fluid as to be of a uniform dingy greenish-brown, in which the 

 33 M 



