VOL. XVI, PP. 53-54 MAY 6, 1903 



* . 

 PROCEEDINGS 



OP THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW REITHRODONTOMYS FROM WESTERN 

 NEBRASKA. 



BY MERRITT GARY. 



Among some mammals collected by me in the Sand Hill re 

 gion of Nebraska, in the spring and fall of 1901, is a well 

 marked species of Reithrodontomys which has hitherto remained 

 undescribed. It may be known from the following description: 



Reithrodontomys albescens sp. nov. 



Type from 18 miles northwest of Kennedy, Nebraska, $ adult, No. 116,- 

 358, United States National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Col 

 lected October 31, 1901, by Merritt Cary. Original number 411. 



General characters. Size small; tail short (ratio of length of tail to 

 total length 45); colors extremely pale; pelage long, full and soft; ears 

 small, with two distinct black spots. 



Color. Sides pale buffy gray; dorsum darker and plain gray, or with 

 a tinge of buff; lateral line, between the pinkish buff and cream buff of 

 Ridgway, continuous from cheeks to thighs; sides of nose, lower portion 

 of cheeks, throat, forelegs and rest of underparts pure white; tail well 

 haired, sharply bicolor, the dark line on upper surface narrow; upper 

 surfaces of feet white. 



Cranial characters. Compared with nebraeensis from the same type 

 locality the skull is much smaller (averaging 1.62 mm. shorter, and 8 

 mm. narrower across mastoids, in a series of 5 adults), with relatively 

 shorter rostrum and narrower interparietal; nasals less ^deeply concave 

 above. 



ifl PROC. BIOL,. Soc. WASH. VOL. XVI, 1903. (53) 



