484 RODENTIA 



two families, the Leporidse and Ochotonidse. Only the former, 

 including the hares and rabbits, is represented in Europe. 



Family LEPORID^. 



1821. Leporidsi Gray, London Med. Repos., xv, p. 304, April 1, 1821. 

 1857. Leporina Blasius, Siiugethiere Deutschlands, p. 409. 

 1897. Lagid.v Schulze, Helios, xiv, p. 82. 



Geograplncal distrihution. — As in the sub-order DiipUcidentata. 



Characters. — Palatal bridge formed chiefly by the maxillary 

 bone ; supraoccipital processes present ; auditory bulla' rather 

 small, not inflated with spongy tissue ; clavicle rudimentary ; 

 hind legs elongated. 



B,emarhs. — The members of the family Leporidse are now- 

 arranged in ten genera,* two of which occur in Europe. 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN GENERA OF LEPOEIDyE. 



jMesopterygoid region narrow, the width of space imme- 

 diately behind palate much less than least longi- 

 tudinal diameter of palate ; postorbital processes 

 (except in domestic races) slender, not distinctly 

 triangular in outline (Rabbits) Onjdolagiis, p. 484. 



Mesopterygoid region broad, the width of space imme- 

 diately behind palate greater than least longi- 

 tudinal diameter of palate ; postorbital processes 

 robust, their outline distinctly triangular (Hares) Lcpus, p. 495. 



Genus ORYCTOLAGUS Lilljeborg. 



1758. Lepns Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., i, 10th ed., p. 57 (part). 



1857. Lepus Blasius, Siiugethiere Deutschlands, p. 410 (part). 



1867. Cunicnlus Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3rd ser., xx, p. 225 



(Not of Brisson, 1762, or Wagler, 1830). Sub-genus of Lepus. 

 1874. Oryctolagus Lilljeborg, Sveriges og Norges Ryggradsdjur, i, p. 417 



(Sub-genus of Lepns). 

 1899. Oryctolagus Major, Trans. Linn. Soc, London, 2nd ser., ZooL, vii, 



p. 514, November, 1899. Genus (part). 

 1904. Oryctolagus Lyon, Smithsonian Miscell. Coll., xlv, p. 402, June 15, 



1904 (Genus). 



Tjijje sjjecies. — Lepus cuniculus Linnaeus. 



Geographical distribution. — Northern Africa and southern 

 and central Europe ; now artificially introduced and established 

 in many portions of the warmer region of both hemispheres. 



Characters. — Externally similar to Lepus, but young at birth, 

 blind and essentially naked. Skull differing from that of Lepus 

 in the slender, never distinctly triangular postorbital process, 



* For the most recent general work on the classification of the group 

 see Lyon : Classification of the Hares and their allies. Smithsonian 

 Miscell. Coll., XLiv, pp. 321-447, June 15, 1904. 



