The Cotton Mouse, Peromyscus Gossypinus. 123 



1894. Sitomys megacephalus Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1894, 



p. 254. 

 1896. Peromyscus gossypinus Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1896, 



p. 189. 



Type locality. The LeConte plantation a few miles above Riceboro, 

 Liberty County, Georgia. 



Geographic distribution. From northern Florida north along the coast 

 at least to Bertie County, N. C. ; west through the non-mountainous 

 parts of Georgia to Alabama and perhaps Mississippi. 



Subspecific characters. A large heavily built mouse ; hind foot large ; 

 tail shorter than head and body, bicolored ; ears dusky, nearly naked, 

 of moderate size ; general color of upper parts dark brown, with broad 

 darker dorsal band ; under parts gray ; feet and hands grayish white. 



Color. Adult: Upper parts dark brown, varying from Prouts brown to 

 sepia, darkening along middle of back into a broad dorsal band, which 

 ranges from clove brown to black ; a black orbital ring. Under parts 

 smoke gray, the hairs plumbeous at base ; feet grayish white ; ears dusky ; 

 tail bicolored, dusky above, grayish white below. Nursing young : Black 

 ish slate above, slate gray below ; tail and feet as in adult. Young 

 in second pelage: General color of upper parts duller, more hair brown, 

 often with a sooty cast ; otherwise like adult, dorsal stripe well marked.* 



Size. Average measurements of twelve adult specimens from St. Marys, 

 Ga. : total length, 177.66; tail vertebra, 70.25; hind foot, 22.35. Max 

 imum size (of largest old adult in above average) : total length, 197 ; 

 tail vertebra, 82.5 ; hind foot, 22. 



Specimens examined, 37, from the following localities : 



Georgia: St. Marys, 35. 



North Carolina : Bertie County, 2. 



Peromyscus gossypinus mississippiensis Rhoads. 



1896. Peromyscus gossypinus mississippiensis Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila., 1896, p. 189. 



Type locality. Samburg, Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee. 



Geographic distribution. The Mississippi bottoms in Tennessee ; limits 

 of range unknown. 



Subspecific characters. Size about that of typical gossypinus; tail a little 

 longer ; hind foot larger ; colors paler and more yellowish ; dorsal band 

 less well defined, without black orbital ring. 



Color. Adult: Upper parts varying from cinnamon brown to russet, 

 darkening on middle of back into an ill-defined dorsal band about 

 mummy brown ; no dark orbital ring ; under parts grayish white, the 

 hairs plumbeous at base ; ears dusky ; tail bicolored, dusky above, white 

 below ; feet grayish white. 



* The young in this pelage are much smaller than the adults, but as 

 they frequently breed they have the appearance of full-grown animals, 

 and gave rise to LeConte' s species Hesperomys cognalus. 



