28 Merriam licri^loit of the Coyotes. 



ja\v. The upper oarnassial is much more swollen and broadly rounded 

 anteriorly, with a relatively insignificant inner cusp (protoeerie). The 

 first upper molar is very large and broad and is broadly rounded on the 

 inner side, without the posterior emargination of C. peninsulx. The last 

 upper molar is subquadrate and in contact with the first for nearly half 

 the length of the anterior face. The lower premolars and carnassial are 

 much larger, heavier, and more crowded than in peninsuhe, but the pos 

 terior molar is minute on one side and absent on the other (without trace 

 of alveolus). A very young skull from the volcano of Toluca, which has 

 not shed the milk teeth, has enormous audital bull<e ; but very young 

 skulls of wolves always have larger bullse than adults. 



Remarks. Hamilton Smith's original description of cagottis is as follows : 

 " The Caygotte of the Mexican Spaniards, and most probably the Coyotl 

 of the native Indians, is a second species, but slightly noticed by trav 

 elers. Mr. William Bullock observed it near Rio Frio, in the Mexican 

 Territory, and was informed by muleteers then with him that it was the 

 Caygotte, a very fierce kind of wolf. The individuals he saw were in size 

 equal to a hound, of a brownish rusty gray, with buff-colored limbs, and 

 rather a scanty brush." While there is nothing distinctive about this 

 description, it may be assumed, on geographic grounds, to apply to the 

 animal from the Cerro San Felipe. For the same reason one would expect 

 Lichtenstein's C. nigrirostris to belong here also ; but Lichtenstein states 

 that his animal has a black muzzle and short pointed ears, characters not 

 possessed by any Coyote known to me. Lichtenstein's specimen was col 

 lected by Deppe at Real de Arriba, in the State of Mexico. If its skull 

 is still in the Berlin Museum, its relations to the Cerro San Felipe skull 

 may be easily ascertained. If not a freak it may be the large wolf of 

 southern Mexico. 



Measurements Adult c? from Cerro San Felipe, Oaxaca: total length, 

 11. >2; tail vertebra, 304; hind foot, 195. 



Cranial measurements. Adult tf from Cerro San Felipe: basal length, 

 164 ; basilar length of Hensel, 160 ; zygomatic breadth, 98 ; palatal length, 

 84; mastoid breadth, 59; length of crown of upper carnassial tooth, 21. 



Canis peninsulas sp. nov. 



Type locality. Santa Anita, Cape St. Lucas, Lower California. Type 

 No. 74245, (5* adult, U. S. National Museum, Department of Agriculture 

 collection. Collected May 15, 1895, by J. E. McLellan. 



General characters. Similar to C. ochropus in size, large ears, and rich 

 coloration, but colors darker and redder, underside of tail blacker ; belly 

 marked with black-tipped hairs ; rostrum much broader. 



Color. Muzzle cinnamon rufous, the cheeks abundantly mixed with 

 black hairs, almost forming a black patch under eyes ; top of head griz 

 zled grayish fulvous, mixed with black hairs between and above eyes ; 

 ears rich fulvous ; upper parts buffy-ochraceous profusely mixed with 

 black (under fur pale fulvous) ; under parts strongly washed with buffy- 

 ochraceous or even pale fulvous, with numerous black-tipped hairs be- 



