126 Merriam American Wood Rut*. 



breast and belly (often forming a roseate pectoral collar) ; hairs plumbeous 

 at base except a pectoral patch and an irregular strip down the middle of 

 the belly, which are white throughout. Some specimens from old Fort Yuma 

 have the upper parts very pale bufty. 



Cranial characters. Skull much smaller, thinner, and less angular than 

 that of intermedia or albigula ; interparietal much smaller and less elongated 

 transversely ; interorbital constriction much narrower, with edges more up 

 turned ; audital bulke much larger ; opening of posterior nares narrower ; 

 nasals truncate buc less broadly than in intermedia. 



Neotoma desertorum sola subsp. nov. 



Type from SAN EMIGDIO, KERN Co., CALIFORNIA. No. 4^ tf ad. U. S. 

 Nat. Museum, Department of Agriculture Collection. Collected October 

 24, 1891, by E. W. Nelson (Original number 1369). 



Measurements (taken in flesh). Type (male): Total length 330 ; tail ver 

 tebrae* 148 ; hind foot 36. Ear from anterior base 29 (in dry skin). Female 

 from type locality : Total length 324 ; tail vertebrae 151 ; hind foot 33.5. 



General characters. Similar to N. desertorum, but larger. 



Color. Upper parts ochraceous buff, lined with black-tipped hairs ; fore 

 and hind feet and under parts white ; basal fur plumbeous on sides of belly 

 and chin ; tail bicolor, grayish brown above, white below. 



Or.anial characters. Skull similar to that of desertorum but larger ; inter 

 orbital breadth greater ; interparietal much larger; aulitul bulke less in 

 flated ; nasals longer, and broader posteriorly; ascending branches of pre- 

 maxilla? shorter and slighter. 



Neotoma intermedia melanura subsp. nov. 



Type from ORTIZ, SONOKA, MEXICO. No. S cT yg- ad. U. S. Nat. 

 Museum, Department of Agriculture Collection. Collected November 13, 

 1889, by Vernon Bailey (Original number 671). 



Measurements (taken in flesh). Type: Total length 333 ; tail vertebne 170; 

 hind foot 34. Ear from anterior base 25 (in dry skin). 



General characters. Size rather small ; ears large ; coloration 

 peculiar ; back olivaceus ; tail black above (probably a peculiarity 

 of winter pelage) ; cranial characters of the alb-iyula type. 



Color. (Winter pelage) Upper parts olivaceus from a fine intermixture of 

 black-tipped hairs on an ochraceus-buffy ground; sides nearly clear ochraceus- 

 buff; fore and hind feet pure white; ankles blackish in sharp contrast to 

 color of hind feet ; tail sharply bicolor, dorsal sit le black, ventral side white J 

 under parts white ; chin, throat, breast sind line down middle of belly white 

 to roots of hairs ; sides of belly with plumbeus under fur. 



Cranial characters. Skull similar to that of N. intermedia but smaller ; 

 nasals narrower posteriorly : anterior loop of m * partly divided by antero- 

 iuternal sulcus. 



Geneal remarks. This animal in winter pelage looks like im- 



