Vol. XV, pp. 91-97 April 25, 1902 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THE MAMMALS OF MARGARITA ISLAN 

 VENEZUELA. 



BY GLOVER M. ALLEN. 



During the summer of 1901, my friend Mr. Austin H. Clark, 

 with two companions, visited Margarita Island, Venezuela, for 

 the purpose of briefly investigating its fauna and flora. The 

 only other scientific worker who has visited this island in recent 

 years is Capt. Wirt Robinson, U. S. A., the results of whoser 

 observations on the birds in 1895, have already appeared.* As 

 there stated by Capt. Robinson, the island "lies about midway 

 between LaGuaira and Trinidad, and only some lY miles dis- 

 tant from the nearest point of the Venezuelan coast. Its great- 

 est length from east to west is 42 miles, and its greatest breadth 

 from north to south 20|^ miles. It consists of two portions 

 connected by a narrow isthmus 12 miles in length; the western 

 being an irregular quadrilateral 12 miles long by 9 miles broad, 

 and the eastern a pentagon some 20 miles across. In the west- 

 ern portion some almost barren peaks rise to a height of 2300 

 feet". Of 10 species of mammals noted by Capt. Robinson 

 as occurring on the island, specimens of 6 were preserved, and 

 3 of these have since been described as new. Mr. Clark's col- 

 lections contained 15 specimens of mammals, representing 8 



*Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., XVIII, p. 649-685, pi. xxxiii, 1896. 



31— Biol. Soo. Wash. Vol. XV, 1902. (91) 



