534 



RODENTIA 



entirely absent. Ear grizzled ochraceous-buff", riinined with 

 black at tip, the inner surface becoming clear ochraceous-buff 

 sub-terruinally, the posterior outer surface washed with grey, 

 and with a bufFy or whitish border from base to black terminal 

 area ; antei"ior border occasionally whitish near middle. A 

 faintly defined pale eye-ring, but no other light markings on 

 side of head. Inner surface of legs and entire uuderparts 

 (except collar) white, slightly tinged with bufFy, especially on 

 inner side of thigh ; inguinal region slightly clouded ^\'ith a 

 mixture of blackish and bufFy ; collar between ochraceous- 

 bufF and clay-colour though paler than either, the grey (about 

 No. 7 of Eidgway) underfur appearing irregularly at surface. 

 Feet ochrnceous-bulF, duller and somewhat grizzled on meta- 

 podials, clear and brighter on toes. Soles an indefinite bufFy drab. 



Skull and teeth. — The skull difFers from that of Ltpus 

 thnidus scoticus in the larger sizes attained by fully adult 

 individuals, the occipitonasal length in such specimens ranging 

 from 91 to 94 mm., Avhile in the Scotch hare it seldom exceeds 

 88 mm. Similarly the mandible in Mhernicus is usually more 

 than 70 mm. in length, while in scoticus it rarely if ever reaches 

 70 mm. The brain-case in the Irish hare often appears more 

 elongate than in the Scotch form, but the difFerence is not 

 constant. Otherwise I can detect no cranial or dental 

 peculiarities by which the two species may be distinguished. 



Measurements. — Adult female from Arthurstown, Waterford, 

 Ireland: head and body, 517; tail, 40; hind foot, 139. 

 Average and extremes of six specimens from LisdufF, Co. Cavan ; 

 ear from crown, 90 "3 (85-95). For cranial measurements see 

 Table, p. 533. 



Specimens examined. — Twenty-nine, from the following localities : — ■ 



Ireland : Gosford Castle, Armagh, 2 ; Lisduff, Co. Cavan, 12 ; Rath- 



robbin, King's County, 2; Arthurstown, ^Yaterford, 1; Kilmanock, 



Waterford, 8 ; no exact locality, 2. Douobale, Dublin, 1 (type of lutescens). 



Wales: Vaynol Park, near Bangor, Carnarvonshire, 1 (introduced). 



HemarJcs. — The Irish hare is strikingly difi'erent from the 

 other European members of the thnidus group in its peculiar 

 russet colour. In size it noticeably exceeds the Scotch hare, but is 

 itself surpassed by the Scandinavia,n true timidus. The yellowish 

 specimens from Co. Dublin, to which the name lutescens has been 

 applied, occurring, as they do, together with animals of normal 

 colour, appear to be examples of some pathological or dichromatic 

 condition rather than the representatives of a recognizable 

 geographic race. 



2. Gosford Castle, Armagh, Hon. L. Powys (c &r). 76. 1. 25. 1-2. 



Ireland. 

 4. Lisduff, Cavan. Hon. B. E. B. Fitz- 76. 3. 26. 1-2. 



Patrick (c & p). 76. 5. 8. 1-2. 



4. Lisduff, Cavan. Hon. B. E. B. Fitz- 76. 7. 12. 1-2. 



Patrick (c & p). 76. 9. 7. 1-2. 



