. 0(373 



VOL. XX, PP. 81-84 JULY 22, 1907 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW NORTH AMERICAN RABBITS. 

 BY E. W. NELSON. 



Study of the great series of North American rabbits in the 

 National Museum (mainly in the Biological Survey Collection) 

 reveals the existence of several previously unrecognized species 

 and subspecies. As considerable time must elapse before pub 

 lication of my monograph on the group I have thought it advis 

 able to publish the new forms in advance. The present paper 

 includes a new Jack Rabbit and several Cottontails. 



In this connection I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam for the opportunity to monograph this 

 interesting group after he had devoted considerable time to its 

 study with the same object in view. I am under obligation also 

 to Mr. N. H. Hollister, Assistant in the Biological Survey, for 

 help in arranging and comparing the great mass of material in 

 the National Museum Collections. 



All measurements are in millimeters. 



GENUS LEPUS Lixx. 

 Lepus californicus magdalena: subsp. nov. 



MAGDALENA ISLAND JACK RABBIT. 



Type No. 146,168, adult male, U. S. National Museum ( Biological Survey 

 Collection), from Magdalena Island, Lower California, Mexico ; collected by 

 E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman, November 26, 1905. 



Geographic distribution. Magdalena and Margarita Islands, Lower Cal 

 ifornia, Mexico. 



Subspecific characters. Upperparts brownish buffy, most like L. c. 

 xanti but paler, with a lighter wash of black on back ; front of ears grayer 

 and back of ears, especially on basal half, much whiter ; ears decidedly 

 shorter. 



Measurements of type. Total length, 550; tail vertebrae, 92; hind foot, 

 117; length of ear from notch in dried skin, 94. 



18 PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XX, 1907. (81) 



