486 



RODENTIA 



and inner surface of legs whitish except for dark inguinal 

 patches and collar. 



External characters. — The external form is typically leporine, 

 the hind legs noticeably elongated, the ears long and the eyes 

 large ; soles of feet covered by a dense brush of somewhat 

 elongated and stiftened hairs which nearly conceal the large, 

 nearly straight claws ; digits, 5-4 ; front foot with third digit 

 longest, fourth and second successively shorter but not con- 

 spicuously so, fifth with tip of claw barely reaching base of 

 claw of fourth, first much shorter than the others, only the 

 claw projecting from integument of foot, its tip falling decidedly 

 short of level of base of claw of fifth. Mamm?e : p 1 — 1, 

 a 2-2 = 6. 



Colour. — Upper parts a coai'se grizzle of cream-buff and black, 

 the cream-buff in excess on sides, the black usually in excess on 

 back, especially across loins. On rump the ground colour becomes 

 paler and on outer surface of legs slightly darker and with an 

 evident tinge of clay-colour, though in neither region forming 

 any decided contrast with surrounding parts. On parting the 

 fur of the back it is seen to have five colour bands : (1) a broad 

 grey (about Ridgway No. 6) basal area (13 mm.), the extreme 

 base somewhat paler ; (2) a brownish band (6 mm.) vai-ying in 

 exact colour between russet and light clay-colour and occupying 

 terminal portion of underfur ; (3) blackish (2 mm.), not sharply 

 defined below ; (4) cream-buff (3-4 mm.) ; (5) black (2-4 mm.), 

 the last three occupying terminal portion of longer hairs. In 

 addition to the underfur and ordinary longer hairs there are 

 others about 40 mm. in length entirely black on back (except for 

 grey basal area), and black with a cream-buff sub-terminal ring on 

 sides. These longest hairs are never conspicuously different from 

 the general fur as they are in Lepus. Nape patch a clear bi'own 

 intermediate between russet and clay-colour. Head essentially 

 like back but more finely grizzled, the cheeks not evidently 

 different from back, the pale eyering barely indicated. No light 

 spot between eye and muzzle or between eye and ear. Muzzle and 

 region from which whiskers spring a clear dull buffy clay-colour, 

 not strongly contrasted with rest of head. Ears not noticeably 

 contrasted with head or back, their colour pattern nearly obsolete, 

 though a faint trace of that so conspicuous in the hares is 

 indicated by a slightly darker line along middle of posterior inner 

 surface, and by a slight greyish tinge on basal half of posterior 

 outer surface. The black tip is reduced to a mere ill-defined rim, 

 sometimes obsolete and never more than 5 mm. wide, strictly 

 confined to posterior surface. Collar and inguinal patches con- 

 color with sides, the inguinal patches sometimes nearly meeting 

 in median line. Rest of underparts together with inner side of 

 legs buffy white or pale cream-buff. On hind legs the whitish 

 area extends over dorsum of foot to extreme tip of toes, though 

 sometimes suffused with the buffy brown of sides of feet. On 



