502 EODENTIA 



Semarks. — Lepus europseus is readily distinguishable among 

 the hares of continental Europe by its large size, long ear with 

 distinct colour pattern on dorsal surface, absence of white 

 markings on feet, and lack of noticeable contrast between colour 

 of sides of body and outer surface of thigh. It is a plastic 

 species, readily becoming differentiated into local races. Seven 

 of these are now known to occur west of Russia.* 



Lepus eueop.eus eup.op.fx's Pallas. 



1777. [Le2nts] timidns Ersleben, S3'st. Regni Anim., i, p. 325 (Not of 



Linnaeus, 1758). 



1778. Lcjms europxus Pallas, Nov. Spec. Quaclr. Glir. Ord., p. 30 (Bur- 



gundy, France). 

 1783. Lepus timidus Schreber, Siiugthiere, pis. ccxxxniA and ccxxxniB 



(Germany). Not of Linnaeus, 1758. 

 1789. Lepus curop:vus Schreber, Saugthiere, iv, p. 865. 

 1801. L[cpus\ t\jnudus] albus Bechstein, Gemeinn. Naturgesch. Deutsch- 



lands, I, 2nd ed., p. 1096 (Thiiringen, Germany). 

 1801. /^[epeis] t[imidus] flavus Bechstein, Gemeinn. Naturgesch. Deutsch- 



lands, I, 2nd ed., p. 1096 (Thiiringen, Germany). 

 1801. L[€pus'\ t[imidus] nigcr Bechstein, Gemeinn. Naturgesch. Deutsch- 



lands, I, 2nd ed., p. 1097 (Thiiringen, Germany). 

 1820. Lepus medius Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, i. p. 224 (Zealand, Denmark ; 



based on specimens in grey winter pelage). 

 1857. Lepus timidus, b. ]Mitteleuropaischc Form, Blasius, Siiugethiere 



Deutschlands, p. 417. 

 1859. '? Lepus campicola Gervais, Zool. et Paleont. Francaises, 2nd ed.. 



p. 47 (Nomen nudum based on the common hare of France). 

 1867. ? [Lepus timidus'] coronatus, rufus, cinereus, nigricans, mactilaius, 



albus and nigcr iPitzinger, Sitzungsber. kais. Akad. Wissensch. 



Wien, Math.-Naturwiss. Classe, lvi, p. 161 (Austria). Nomina 



nuda. 

 1875. [Lepiis timidus'] var. argcnteogrisea Konig-Warthausen, Yerzeichniss 



der Wirbelthiere Oberschwabens, Siiugethii;re, p. 86 (Uhn, Wiirtem- 



berg, Germany). Probably based on an individual in grey winter 



coat. 

 1910. Lcjms europ);i'US and L. medius Trouessart, Faune Mamm. d'Europe, 



p. 219. 



Type loccd'djj. — Burgundy, France. f 



Geographical distribution. — Central Europe from Germany to 



* The Lepus curop;rus carpatlioriim of Hilzheimer (Zool. Anzeiger, xxx, 

 p. 512, August 14, 1906) from the Carpathians may represent an eighth 

 race. The difficulty of clearly understanding the various local forms of 

 European hares is greatly increased by the frequency with which the 

 animals are transported from one region to another for the purpose of 

 restocking exhausted hunting grounds. Ij. e. transylvanicus has thus beeu 

 taken to Denmark, and L. e. occidentalis to Switzerland. Other instances 

 of the same kind will undoubtedly be found. 



t Pallas refers to Daubenton's account of this animal for measurements 

 (Nov. Sp. Quadr. Glir. Ord., p. 2), and mentions no definite locality. 

 ]?olonia and Pannonia are, he says (p. 5), inhabited by another form. 

 Daubenton's description (Buffon, Hist. Nat., vi, pp. 264-299) was based on 

 Burgundian specimens. 



