LEl'US 531 



1. Thornhi!!, Dumfi-iesshire. H. S. Gladstone 7.8.7.1. 



(c&p). 

 ;2. New Galloway, Kircud- Col. Gordon Maitland 95. 10. 6. 1-2. 

 brightshire. (c & p). 



6, 3 9. Clonas. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant 99. 2. 17. 1-4. 



LEPUS HIBERNICUS Bell. 



1833. Irish Hare Yarrell, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, p. 88. No technical 



name. 

 1837. Lepus hibcrnicus Bell, History of Brit. Quadrupeds, p. 341. 

 1857. [Lepus i;ariabilis'] a. Form der warmeren Klimate, Blasius, Siiuge- 



thiere Deutschlauds, p. 424 (part). 

 1900. Lepus timidus hiberniciis Barrett-Hamilton, Proc. Zool. Soc, 



Loudon, p. 89. 

 1900. Lepus timidus lufesccns Barrett-Hamilton, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 



p. 89 (Donobate, Co. Dublin, Ireland). Type in British IMuseum. 

 190G. Llepus] t[imidus'] hibernicus Hilzheimer, Zool. Anzeiger, xxx, p. 510, 



August 14, 1906. 

 1910. Lepus timidus hibcrnicus and L, timidus lutescens Trouessart, Paune 



Mamm. d'Europe, p. 216. 



Tijije locality. — Ireland. 



Geograpliical dlstrUmtion. — Ireland, chiefly in the more hilly 

 districts. Now introduced and established in portions of Wales 

 and Scotland (Carnarvonshire and the island of Mull). 



Diagno^'iH. — Differing from the other European members of 

 the Lepus timidus group in its strongly russet colour and in the 

 partial or complete absence of the white winter coat. Size 

 noticeably greater than in its nearest geographical ally, 

 L. timidus scoticus. 



Colour. — General colour of upper parts a finely and incon- 

 spicuously grizzled russet brown, aj^proaching the russet and 

 wood-brown of Ridgv/ay, brighter and more reddish on shoulders 

 and back, paler, though strongly russet, on crown and face, 

 duller and fading to ochraceous-bufi' on cheeks, sides, and outer 

 surface of legs ; nape and back of neck to between shoulders 

 scarcely grizzled, the nape usually with a suffusion of drab. The 

 colours on the back are arranged as follows : underfur (15 mm.) 

 light pearl-grey (about grey No. 10 of Eidgway) at base, the 

 terminal half of the hairs abruptly light russet ; loiiger hairs 

 (25 mm.) light pearl-grey at extreme base, becoming black at 

 level of russet portion of shorter hairs, each with a dull buff sub- 

 terminal annulation about 4 mm. long and a rather shorter black 

 tip ; a few still longer haix's (35 mm.) entirely black except the 

 grey base. Rump usually with an evident greyish cast, this 

 often rather conspicuous in winter specimens, the black tips to 

 the hairs occasionally ])roducing a markedly clouded effect. Tail 

 white, usually with a bluish tinge, the upper surface sprinkled 

 to a varying degree Avith blackish or brownish hairs, these 

 occasionally producing a decided grizzled effect, and never 



ti M 2 



