228 General Notes. 



southern Texas, Louisiana and Florida is only from 17.11 to IS. 4 mm. 

 This larger animal is Dasypterus intermedins (II. Allen), originally de- 

 scribed from Matamoras, Tamaulipas. While it is not possible, in the 

 absence of a better series of skins than that now available, to find any 

 appreciable differences between the Yucatan and Chiapas specimens and 

 true intermedins, it is evident that the form occurring in Louisiana and 

 Florida ( D. floridanus Miller) is sufficiently characterized by its shorter 

 forearm and third ringer to be regarded as distinct. 



— Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. 



THE VOLCANO RABBIT OF MOUNT IZTACCIHUATL.* 



In the catalog of the objects exhibited by the Mexican "Comision 

 Geografico-Exploradora " at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago t Pro- 

 fessor Augustin Diaz figures (pi. -L' ) a rabbit of the genus Romerolagus, 

 under the name " Conejo del Volcan (Lepus diazi Ferrari -Perez, sp. 

 nov)." This plate is not mentioned by Merriam in the original descrip- 

 tion of Romerolagus nelsonii from Mt. Popocatepetl, or by Nelson in his 

 monograph of the Rabbits of North America, § though it is alluded to by 

 an anonymous editorial writer in Natural Science for March, 1897. || 



The validity of the specific name diazi is unquestionable under the 

 Internationa] Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Art. 25, and Opinion 1). 

 According to the same Code the authority for the name is Diaz, not 

 Ferrari-Perez, since Lepus diazi remained in MS. until the publication of 

 the catalog by Diaz, and no statement is anywhere made that " some 

 other person is responsible for [the publication of] said name and its indi- 

 cation [= illustration]" (Art. 21, and Opinion 4). 



Nonienclatorily the case presents no difficulties, but zoologically it has 

 hitherto been obscured by the uncertainty as to whether the " Volcano 

 Rabbit" was identical with Romerolagus nelsoni. This doubt has now 

 been removed by the kindness of Professor Ferrari-Perez, through which 

 I have been enabled to examine the type and a second specimen of 

 Romerolagus diazi. Both were taken in Puebla, on the eastern slope of 

 Mt. Iztaccilniatl, a region about fifteen miles from the type-locality of 

 Romerolagus nelsoni. 



As compared with four skins of Romerolagus nelsoni the two specimens 

 of R. diazi (both marked female, the type taken in March, 1885) show 

 slightly less black in the grizzle of dorsal surface and slightly more gray 

 on cheeks, characters probably due to the fading usual in mounted spec- 



* By permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



-rExposicion Internacional Columbina de Chicago en 1893 | ComisiYm Geografico- 

 Exploradora | de la I Reptiblica Mexicana | Catalogo | de los objectos que componen el 

 eontingente de la Comision, precidido de algunas notas | sotare su organization y 

 trabajos I por el ingeniero director I Agusttn Diaz | Coronel de Estado Mayor Especial, 

 Ex-Profesor en el Colegio Militar y en la | Escuela Especial de Ingenieros I Xalapa- 

 Enriuuez. Marzodel893 I Tipografia de la Comisi6n Geografico-Explnntdora. | 



t Proc. Biol. Soe. Washington, X, pp. 109-174. December 29, 1896. 



§ North American Fauna No. 29. August 31, 1909. 



II X, p. 151. 



