122 Bangs The Cotton Mouse, Peromyscus Gossypinus. 



longer front legs than leucopus, and consequently a different gait, 

 progressing in an even run, while leucopus goes by little leaps. 

 I regret to say that while I had the opportunity I never studied 

 the movements of P. gossypinus in life. Major LeConte undoubt 

 edly did, and I see no reason to doubt his statement. The skull 

 of P. gossypinus averages larger than that of P. leucopus when in 

 dividuals of the same age are compared, but apart from this 

 difference in size the two are indistinguishable. 



Peromyscus aureolus overlaps the greater part of the range of 

 P. gossypinus, but reaches farther north and probably not so far 

 south, the southernmost examples, so far as I know, coming 

 from Enterprise, Florida. It can always be told from gossypinus 

 by the bright ochraceous of the upper parts, the under parts 

 being also extensively washed with this color, and its smaller 

 size about that of P. leucopus. 



In Florida two white-footed mice, very different from each 

 other and equally different from gossypinus, occur in many places 

 associated with gossypinus. The commoner of these is the most 

 beautiful of all white-footed mice, the little, ghost-like Peromys 

 cus niveiventris. This species is about half the size of gossypinus, 

 with pale gray and fawn-colored upper parts and snowy white 

 under parts. The other is Peromyscus floridanus, an animal very 

 unlike P. gossypinus and belonging to a different group of the 

 genus. It is a large mouse, with big, nearly naked ears, short 

 tail, and very large hind foot. The sides are a bright ochraceous 

 buff and the under parts white. The fur is very soft and 

 silk} 7 ". 



In the west Peromyscus gossypinus may meet the range of P. 

 mearngi of the lower Rio Grande and coast of Texas. P. mearnsi 

 is about the size and proportions of P. leucopus, and is dark gray 

 (purplish gray in fresh pelage) above, without a marked darker 

 dorsal band, and white below. 



Peromyscus gossypinus (LeConte). 



1831. Hyp\udxus] gossipinus LeConte, M'Mnrtrie's Cuvier's Animal 



Kingdom, I, 1831, app., p. 434 (nomeii nudum). 

 1853. Hesperomys gossypinus LeConte, Proc. A cad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1853, 



p. 411. 

 1855. Hesperomys cognatus LeConte, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1855, 



p. 442. 

 1874. Hesperomys ( Ve^xt-itnas) leucopus gossypimis Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. 



Sci. Phila., 1874, p. 179. 

 1877. Hesperomys leucopus gossypinus Coues, Monog. N. American Mu- 



ridte, p. 76. 



