VOL. XVI, PP. 53-54 MAY 6, 1903 



PROCEEDINGS 



OP THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW REITHRODONTOMYS FROM WESTERN 



NEBRASKA. 



BY MERRITT CARY. 



Among some mammals collected by me in the Sand Hill re- 

 gion of Nebraska, in the spring and fall of 1901, is a well 

 marked species of Heithrodontomys which has hitherto remained 

 undescribed. It may be known from the following description: 



Reithrodontomys albescens sp. now 



Type from 18 miles northwest of Kennedy, Nebraska, $ adult, No. 116,- 

 358, United States National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Col- 

 lected October 31, 1901, by Merritt Gary. Original number 411. 



General characters. — Size small; tail short (ratio of length of tail to 

 total length 45); colors extremely pale; pelage long, full and soft; ears 

 small, with two distinct black spots. 



Color. — Sides pale buffy gray; dorsum darker and plain gray, or with 

 a tinge of buff; lateral line, between the pinkish buff and cream buff of 

 Ridgway, continuous from cheeks to thighs; sides of nose, lower portion 

 of cheeks, throat, forelegs and rest of underparts pure white; tail well 

 haired, sharply bicolor, the dark line on upper surface narrow; upper 

 surfaces of feet white. 



Cranial characters. — Compared with nebracensis from the same type 



locality the skull is much smaller (averaging 1.62 mm. shorter, and 8 



mm. narrower across mastoids, in a series of 5 adults), with relatively 



shorter rostrum and narrower interparietal; nasals less deeply concave 



above. 



IS— Pitoc. Biol. Soc. Wash. Vol. XVI, 1903. (53) 



