PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SUBGENUS AND 

 SIX NEW SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF HARES, FROM 

 THE MEXICAN BORDER OF THE UNITED STATES.^ 



By Edgar A. Mearns, M. D., 



Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Army. 



The genus Lepns stands so much iu need of a thorough revision, 

 that, in order to characterize the new species intelligently, it is neces- 

 sary to define the characters of the remaining si^ecies of this region. 



The eleven si)ecies of the Mexican border, together with their seven 

 additional subspecies, belong to four sections of the genus Lepus, at 

 least three of which may with advantage be recognized as subgenera. 

 One of these sections contains the water hare [Lepus aquaticus, Bach- 

 man) of the lowlands bordering the Gulf of Mexico, another the cot- 

 tontails (three species), from which the cactus rabbit {Lepus cinerascens, 

 Allen) of the Pacific Coast region is sufliciently different to merit sei^a- 

 ration as a third section, the Mexican jackrabbits (six species) com- 

 posing the fourth. These groups may be conveniently characterized, 

 anatomically, as follows : 



ANALYSIS OF THREE SUBGENERA OF LEPUS. 



A. Interparietal persistent as a distinct bone in adults ; usually developed from a 

 single ossific center. Ear shorter than hind foot (except in L. cinerascens). 

 a. Skull and teeth massive ; rostral portion about as wide as high; postorbital 

 l>rocess of frontal bone anchylosed with the cranium for its entire length; 

 frontal and parietals deeply pitted; skull rather straight above, about half 

 as wide as long ; pelage harsh ; head small ; ear, tail, and hind foot short, 

 the latter scantily haired Hydrolagus, Gray. 



■ This Is the third of a series of papers, in the Proceedings of the United States 

 National Museum, based on the collection of mammals made by the writer in con- 

 nection with the recent resurvey of the Mexican boundary line, in which it has 

 been deemed advisable to present brief preliminary diagnoses of sucli mammals as 

 appear to be new to science, in anticipation of the publication of the proposed 

 report on the collections of the International Boundary Commission, United States 

 and Mexico. This course is necessitated by the delay incident to getting out the 

 final report, in which detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new forms may 

 be expected. (See Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVII, pp. 129-130; XVIII, pp. 113-447.) 



Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Vol. XVIII— No. 1081. 



551 



