494 



RODENTIA 



animal) ; colour more finely grizzled, the back showing less 

 tendency to be distinctly clouded with black. 



Measuremenis. — Adult from Porto Santo : hind foot, 72. 

 Two males from Terceira, Azores : hind foot, 73 and 76. Adult 

 male from Seville, Spain : hind foot, 75 ; two females from the 

 same locality : hind foot, 72 and 72. Adult male and female 

 from Goto Doiiana, Huelva, Spain : hind foot, 73 and 80. Adult 

 male and female from San Cristobal, Minorca, Balearic Islands : 

 head and body, 356 and 340 ; tail, 40 and 45 ; hind foot, 82 and 

 80 ; ear tvi>va crown, 70 and 70. Average and extremes of five 

 males from Poulx, Gard, France : head and body, 371 (347-397); 

 tail, 55 (45-63); hind foot, 77-8 (76-80-2). Adult female from 

 Island of Dhia, oft' Candia, Crete (type of niosulus) : head and 

 body, 341; tail 65; hind foot, 77 '6; ear, 70. For cranial 

 measurements see Table, p. 493. 



Specimens examined. — Seventy, from the following localities : — 



Porto Santo : Five. 



AzoEES : Terceira, 2 ; San Miguel, 4. 



Spain : Goto Dofiana, Huelva, 4 ; Seville, 4 ; Silos, Burgos, 3 ; Castrillo 

 de la Reina, Burgos, 1 ; Selva, Majorca, Balearic Islands, 1 ; Inca, Majorca, 2 ; 

 Alcudia, Majorca, 1 ; San Cristobal, INIinorca, 2. 



France: Poulx, Gard, 5; near Nimes, Gard, 14 (Mottaz) ; Digne, 

 Basses-Alpes, 8 (Mottaz). 



Italy : Island of Capraja, Genoa, 5 (B.il. and Genoa) ; Palermo, 

 Sicily, 1 (U.S.N.M.). 



Sardinia : Assuni, 7 (U.S.N.M.). 



Crete: Dhia Island, off Candia, 1 (type of cnossius). 



Remarks. — In colour the Mediterranean rabbit nearly agrees 

 with the central European form, but when series of skins are 

 compared it is at once seen that the smaller animal is the more 

 grey and finely grizzled oi the two, its back seldom distinctly 

 clouded with black, a condition that is usual in true cunicnlux. 

 The actual elements of the colour are essentially the same in the 

 two, but in hnxleiji the sub-terminal annulations of the longer 

 hairs are slightly paler than in the central form. Except for 

 the dift'erences in size the skull and teeth agree with those of the 

 larger animal. 



The failure to distinguish between this race and that of 

 central Europe has been responsible for much speculation as to 

 the probable origin within historic times of the small rabbits of 

 Porto Santo, which happened to be compared by Darwin with 

 British examples of true cuniculus. Some of Darwin's specimens 

 from this island are still in the British Museum. As might have 

 been anticipated they j^rove to be exactly similar to the common 

 Mediterranean form. 



5. Porto Santo, Madeira C. Darwin (p). 68.2.19.9.3,104, 



Islands. 107, 111, 117. 



1. San Miguel, Azores. F. du Cane Godman 73. 3. 21. 1. 



(c & P). 



c?, 9. San Miguel. Major F. A. Chaves G. 3. 25. 1-2. 



(c & p). 



