526 



]ie on inner border of crown rather than on inner side of 

 anterior border. Anterior section of first lower premolar louder 

 and narrower than in the related species. Other teeth not 

 certainly distinguishable from those of L. europieus except that 

 the roots of the upper cheek-teeth 

 extend further into the orbital cavity ; 

 distance from crown of third pre- 

 molar to upper surface of root capsule 

 usually greater than alveolar length 

 of tooth-row. 



Bema7-ks. — As a group the vary- 

 ing hares are readily distinguishable 

 from the other European members 

 of the genus by their shorter ears and 

 tail, on both of which the dark mark- 

 ings are reduced in extent, and by 

 their slight but evident cranial and 

 dental pecu 1 iar it ies . That these more 

 fundamental characters indicate a 

 higher degree of specialization than 

 that attained by Lejms europseus has been shown by AVinge 

 (Danmarks Fauna, Pattedyr, p. 58, 1908). Lcpus timidus is 

 represented in Europe by three local forms, which, though 

 isolated geographically, seem most conveniently treated as sub- 

 species. The Irish hare is completely diiierentiated from the 

 continental and British forms. 



Fig. 104. 

 Lepus timidtis. Teeth. 



Lepus timidus timidus Linna'us. 



1758. [Lcjms'] timidus Linnseus, Syst. Nat., i, 10th ed., p. 57. 



1777. [Lepus iimidus'] alpinus Erxleben, Syst. Regni Anim., i, p. 328 (the 



varying hares in general, from Switzerland to Greenland). Not 

 of Pallas, 1773, or of Erxleben, p. 337. 



1778. Le])us variabilis Pallas, Nov. Sp. Quadr. Glir. Ord., p. 2 (Renaming 



of timidus). 

 1778. [Lcpus] algidus Pallas, Nov. Sp. Quadr. Glir. Ord., p. 2 (Alternative 



for alpinus Pennant). 

 1778. [Lepus] borealis Pallas, Nov. Sp. Quadr. Glir. Ord., p. 2 (Alternative 



for alpinus Pennant). 

 1795. L[epus'\ septentrionaUs Link, Beytriige zur Naturgesch., Bd. i, 



Sttick 2, p. 73 (Substitute for variabilis). 

 182C. Lep7is borealis Nilsson, Skand. Fauna, i, p. 211 (Substitute for 



variabilis). 

 1827. [Lipiis timidus] /8 alba Billberg, Synopsis Faunae Scandinaviae, p. 7 



(Northern Scandinavia). Not L. timidus alius Bechstein, 1801. 

 1829-32. Lepus borealis collinus Nilsson, Ilium. Fig. Skand. Fauna, I, 



pi. 19 (Sodermanland, Sweden). 

 1829-32. Lepus borealis sylvaticus Nilsson, Ilium. Fig. Skand. Fauna, i, 



pi. 22 (Heavily wooded portions of Sweden). 

 1844. Lepus canescens Nilsson, Ofversigt af Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. For- 



handl., Stockholm, i, p. 133 (Renaming of sylvaticus). 



