Vol. V] TAYLOR— NEW SUBGENUS OF PHENACOMYS {27 



2 EXTERNAL CHARACTERS 

 (1) General coloration 



While certain young examples (notably Nos. 137, 138, 139, 

 Univ. Oreg. Mus.) are somewhat paler than the rest, the 

 entire series of thirty-three skins before me is remarkably 

 uniform in general coloration, being cinnamon dorsally, paling 

 to light ochraceous-buff on the sides, and becoming white 

 ventrally. Tail usually colored a very dark brown, near seal 

 brown, with no demarcation between dorsal and ventral colora- 

 tion. 



(2) Dorsal coloration 



A rich cinnamon, the exact hue varying from near orange- 

 cinnamon (as in No. 21149, a specimen of middle age) to near 

 ochraceous-buff (as in No. 19980, a very young specimen). 

 The majority of the specimens are cinnamon or pinkish cinna- 

 mon on the back, and all have a greater or less insprinkling of 

 spiny black hairs, which tend to give a darker appearance than 

 would otherwise be the case. Eight young examples are quite 

 close to No. 19980 in coloration. 



The hairs of the contour pelage are deep plumbeous basally, 

 the lighter portion of the shaft being confined to the tip. On 

 nose and around eyes the hairs are shorter and lack the 

 plumbeous bases. In most of the specimens the short hairs 

 on the extreme tip of the nose are near light seal brown. 

 Whiskers silvery or blackish brown, the silvery hairs often 

 having blackish-brown bases. The combination of short ears 

 and rather long hair makes the ears inconspicuous. In some 

 specimens (notably Nos. 19985, 21145, 19984, 19975, 19980, 

 19978) the ears are almost concealed. In all examples the 

 long hairs of the body pelage overlie the opening into the ear. 

 The pinna of the ear itself is very thinly haired, within and 

 without, with hairs similar in coloration to those making up the 

 contour pelage of the body, except that there is a tendency for 

 the plumbeous bases to be absent. Toward the base of the 

 pinna the typical body pelage is encountered. 



Forefeet dorsally with a shade of the buff or cinnamon series 

 somewhat paler than that of the dorsal coloration, ordinarily 

 white on the fingers, but sometimes washed with very pale 

 buff; ventrally white; palm naked; hairs about bases of claws 

 exceeding claws in length. Hind feet whitish, washed with 



December 30, 1915. 



