Nelson Seven New Rabbits. 105 



grizzled by overlying black on tips of long hairs, the black wash heaviest 

 on middle of back and palest on sides of body ; top of tail dull rusty clay 

 color; " nape rusty rufous ; front of forelegs and feet dingy buffy shading 

 back into dull rust}' buffy on sides of legs ; hind legs like flanks on outside 

 of thighs, but shading back into dingy rusty buffy; line along front of 

 hind leg and top of foot white ; neck on sides and below deep buffy ; rest of 

 under parts white except for a dingy buffy line on inguinal region; ears 

 grizzled grayish brown on base, gradually darkening to narrow black tips 

 on inner or convex surface. 



Skull characters. Skull similar in general character to that of typical 

 vertecrucis but larger and more massive ; rostrum much deeper and heavier 

 in proportion ; braincase narrower, more depressed and less abruptly de 

 scending on posterior outline ; nasals nearly as broad anteriorly as at base ; 

 depth of rostrum from anterior base of molars nearly equals width above same 

 point; jugals very heavy, with a deep groove ending anteriorly in a deep 

 pit ; bull^e about same size as in true verxcrucis but proportionately smaller. 



Measurements. External measurements of type (taken in flesh) : Total 

 length, 505 ; tail vertebrae, 58; hind foot, 113 ; ear from notch (from dried 

 skin), 78. 



Cranial measurements of type : Occipito-nasal length, 86 ; basal length of 

 Hensel,65; interorbital width, 19.5; parietal width, 26.5; length of nasals, 

 39; width of nasals at base, 16.5; width of nasals near tip, 13; depth of 

 rostrum at anterior base of molars, 20 ; width of rostrum above same point, 

 19.5 ; greatest diameter of bullse, 11. 



General notes. This is slightly larger than* true Lepus ver&crucis, which 

 ranges across all the intervening country between the eastern border of the 

 tableland and the range of the present form. Specimens from interior 

 Guerrero are referable to the typical form, with its smaller, lighter skull. 

 Considering the climatic and other physiographic differences between the 

 home of typical versecrucis and the present form, there is surprisingly little 

 difference in color. 



Lepus f loridanus connectens subsp. nov. 



ALTA MIRA COTTONTAIL. 



Type Adult male, No. 63,660, U. S. National Museum, Biological Sur 

 vey Collection, from Chichicaxtle, Vera Cruz. Collected February 15, 1894, 

 by E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman. Original number 5849. 



Distribution. Tropical parts of eastern Mexico from southern Tamaulipas 

 throughout the coast lowlands to the Papaloapam Kiver in central Vera 

 Cruz and along the east slope of the Cordillera of eastern San Luis Potosi, 

 eastern Puebla, and eastern Oaxaca south to Mt. Zempoaltepec. 



General characters. Externally much like typical L.floridanus,\)\it larger 

 and pelage averaging a little paler. Skull longer, proportionately narrower; 

 bullse smaller; nasals longer and slenderer. Ears large. 



Description of type in faded winter pelage. Top of head and back grizzled 

 creamy ochraceous buffy, thinly washed with blackish by black tips to 

 longer hairs ; sides of head, body, and rump distinctly grayer and less 



