210 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



This race is confined to the Isle of Pines, where it represents C. 

 prehensilis. The fact that both the common species of Capromys 

 (C. piloridcs and C. prehensilis) have representatives on the Isle of 

 Pines, off the southwest coast of Cuba, is evidence of their former 

 general distribution throughout at least the Cuban portion of Antillea. 

 The fact of the differentiation of these Isle of Pines animals in numer- 

 ous striking cranial characteristics further indicates a long period of 

 isolation. Mr. Chapman's account of the variations exhibited by 

 his series of six gundlachi and seven prehensilis may point to a less 

 tendency to albinism in the Isle of Pines animals, as seemed also to 

 be true of the new race of pilorides described above from that island. 



Capromys melanurus Poey. 



Capromys melanurus Poey, Monatsb. k. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 

 1864, p. 384. 



The type of this species came from Manzanillo in the southeast of 

 Cuba, where it was locally called "Andaraz". Dobson (1884) in his 

 account of its anatomy, states that his two specimens were from the 

 mountains (Sierra Maestra) at the southern extremity of the island, 

 eight miles north-northeast of Portillo. It is supposed to be at 

 present confined to this eastern portion of Cuba, but no specimens 

 seem to have been taken for many years. A comparison with skins 

 of prehensilis, to which it seems closely related, is much to be desired. 

 Dobson's figure, drawn from an alcoholic specimen, indicates a rather 

 bushy-tailed animal. Mr. Chapman considers that Capromys poeyi 

 of Guerin (1834) is a synonym of C. prehensilis Poeppig (1824), but it 

 may well be that Guerin was describing the animal now known as C. 

 melanurus of Poey (1864). Guerin specially notes the tail as entirely 

 covered with long rusty hairs and lacking the naked space below. 

 Poey also indicates a supposed smaller species, with yellow unringed 

 hair, and in a footnote the name C. pallidus is applied to it by Peters 

 (Monatsb. k. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1864, p. 384 and footnote). 



Capromys (Geocapromys) thoracatus True. 



Capromys thoracatus True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1888, 11, p. 469. 



This was described from two specimens obtained on Little Swan 

 Island, where the animal is said still to occur, and is called "Hutia". 

 The discovery of the genus on this small island is of extraordinary 



