288 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



cerning its habits, namely, that it is almost ex- 

 clusively nocturnal, and that it makes its home 

 in deserted holes of the Badger. The only in- 

 dividual I succeeded in shooting was killed at 

 the mouth of a Badger hole just at daylight." 



The Idaho Pygmy Hare is the only American 

 species known to dig its own burrows in the 

 ground. Mr. Vernon Bailey states that " it com- 

 monly digs burrows, which are aften connected 

 on the surface with well-marked runwavs." 



COTTONTAIL RABBIT 



Sylvilagus floridanus (Allen) 



General Description. — A medium-sized Rabbit witii 

 a short tail having a clear white underside, and carrying 

 the tail over the back to show the white. Head fairly 

 large ; eyes large ; ears of good size, fairly broad ; body 

 moderately robust ; tail short ; legs fairly Ions but hind 

 legs not e-xcessively longer than fore legs ; pelage long, 

 thick and soft ; general color huffy gray mixed with 

 black, above; underparts grayish-white. An animal of 

 brushy areas. 



Dental Formula. — Incisors, ^ir, ; Canines, 5^::^, ; Pre- 

 molars, ~ ; Molars, 3£if=28. 



Pelage. — Adults : Sexes identical. A seasonal varia- 

 tion occurs but is not especially conspicuous. Above, 

 buffy-gray mixed and lined with black; legs dark- 

 rufous; a broad band across the chest, brownish-buff; 

 ears broadly edged and tipped with black ; nape of neck 

 rusty ; a white area about each eye ; underparts grayish- 

 white ; tail above brown, beneath clear white. Young : 

 Similar to adults but lacking strong black and rufous. 



Measurements. — Total length. 18 inches ; tail to end 

 of hairs, 2.5 inches; hind foot, 3.4 inches; ear from 

 notch. 2.3 inches. 



Range. — Florida northward to North Carolina, west 

 to Louisiana. 



Food. — A great variety of green vegetation, leaves 

 of shrubs, buds and bark of trees. 



Remarks. — The Cottontail Rabbits may be readily 

 distinguished from any of the related Hares and 

 Rabbits by their shorter ears, shorter tail with its con- 

 spicuous white under-surface, and also by the pattern 

 of coloration which is not duplicated outside of this 

 group. There are 27 species and subspecies of Cot- 

 tontails to be found north of the Rio Grande, and also 

 a number that are found south of this river, so it is 

 to be noted that the group is a very large one. This 

 animal responds quite readily to its environment and 

 thus many color differences are seen when animals from 

 different regions are brought together. 



Related Species 



Florida Cottontail Rabbit. — Syk'ilagus floridanus 

 floridanus (.Allen). Typical animal of the above 

 description. Florida, northward to North Carolina, 

 west to Louisiana. 



Eastern Cottontail Rabbit. — Sylvilagus floridanus 

 mallunts (Thomas). Larger, ears longer, color paler. 



East of .Allegheny Mountains from Long Island, south 

 to the Carolinas. and west to .-Mabania. 



Texas Cottontail Rabbit. — Syh'ilagus floridanus 

 chat^mani (Allen). Size small, sides and rump giayish- 

 white. Middle and southern Texas. 



Mearns Cottontail Rabbit. — Syk'ilagus floridanus 

 mcanisii (.Mien). Size large, colors pale. West of 

 -•Mlegheny Mountains from Toronto, Canada, and cen- 

 tral New York, west to Minnesota and Michigan; south 

 to Kansas and Illinois. 



New England Cottontail Rabbit. — Sylvilagus tran- 

 sitionalis (Bangs). Above, russet and wood brown 

 mixed with black; nape of neck, hazel. New England 

 States, south to V'irginia and Georgia, north to Ver- 

 mont, and southwestern Maine. 



Nuttall's Cottontail Rabbit. — Syhilagiis nuttallii 

 nultallii (Bachman). Size small, colors pale. Plains 

 and lower mountain slopes of Columbia River basin 

 in eastern Washington and Oregon ; also northeastern 

 California, northwestern Nevada and western Idaho. 

 Three subspecies in this group. 



Audubon's Cottontail Rabbit. — Sylvilagus auduhonii 

 auduhonii (Baird). Smaller than eastern Cottontail, 

 ears longer; above, pale yellowish-brown mixed with 

 black. Interior of north central California, south to 

 San Francisco Bay. 



Arizona Cottontail Rabbit. — Sylvilagus auduhonii 

 ariconac (.Allen). Like Xuttall's Cottontail but smaller, 

 with ears longer and broader, color paler. Deserts of 

 southern Nevada. California and Arizona. 



Bailey's Cottontail Rabbit. — Sylvilagus auduhonii 

 hailryi (Merriam). Large and pale, ears and tail 

 longer. Plains and valleys from eastern Montana 

 through Wyoming, northeastern Utah and Colorado, 

 western North and South Dakota, Nebraska and 

 Kansas. 



Gray Cottontail, or Brush Rabbit. — Sylvilagus 

 hachmani cincrasccns (Allen). Much smaller, ears 

 uniformly gray; above, yellowish-brown mixed with 

 dark brown, general appearance of animal a grizzled 

 gray. It is found in the arid valleys of southern 

 California. 



Oregon Cottontail Rabbit. — Sylvilagus hachmani 

 uhcricolor (Miller). Darkest and richest colored of 

 the Cottontails ; pelage very thick. Humid coast belt 

 from northern California north to Columbia River, 

 O/egon. 



