VOL. XVII, PP. 135-138 J ULY 14, 1904 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



UNRECOGNIZED JACK RABBITS OF THE LEPUS 

 TEXT ANUS GROUP. 



BY C. HART MERRIAM. 



The texianus group of jack rabbits comprises a number of 

 species and subspecies inhabiting the western part of North 

 America from the State of Durango in Mexico north to South 

 Dakota and the Columbia River, and from middle Texas west 

 to the coast region of California. One of these, Lepus texianus 

 deserticola Mearns, occupies the Colorado and Mohave deserts 

 and the desert region generally east of the High Sierra. 



Another subspecies inhabits the Plains of the Columbia in 

 Oregon and Washington. It resembles deserticola, but is much 

 darker, and may be distinguished by other characters pointed 

 out in the accompanying description . It is here named Lepus 

 texianus wallawalla. 



In the interior of California, west of the Sierra, three forms 

 occur : 



(1) Lepus calif ornicus Gray, 1887. A large, highly-colored, 

 reddish brown or fulvous species, inhabiting the coast region 

 from San Diego northward, spreading over the Sacramento 

 Valley and foothills of the northern Sierra, and continuing over 

 Shasta Valley to the Rogue River and Willamette Valley in 

 Oregon. Type locality, San Antonio, Calif., doubtless the old 

 Mission of that name a few miles north of Jolon, Monterey 

 County. 



24 PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH. Vol.. XVII, 1904. (135) 



