COTTONTAIL 



Food. — A great variety of green vegetation, grasses, foliage, 

 bark, etc. 



Enemies. — Hawks, Owls, Fox, Weasel, Coyote, Wolf, Lynx, 

 and any carnivorous mammal capable of catching it. 



Species and subspecies of the genus Sylvilagus 

 Subgenus Sylvilagus 



Cottontails 

 Floridanus Group. — Eastern Cottontails 



Florida Cottontail. — Sylvilagus floridanus floridanus (Allen). 

 The animal described above. Found in "All of peninsular 

 Florida (including coastal islands) south of Sebastian River 

 and thence northward along the coast to St. Augustine on 

 the east side, and to an unknown distance on the west side. 

 Vertical range from sea level up to about loo feet altitude; 

 zonal range mainly Lower Austral." (Nelson) 



Eastern Cottontail. — Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus (Thomas). 

 Size larger, ears longer than typical floridanus; less black 

 washing on upperparts which are dark rusty yellowish. 

 Total length, i8 inches; tail vertebra, 2.6 inches; hind foot, 

 3.7 inches; ear from notch, 2.4 inches. Found "Mainly east 

 of Allegheny Mountains from Long Island and the lower 

 Hudson Valley in extreme southeastern New York south 

 through New Jersey, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, 

 eastern West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, North and South 

 Carolina, Georgia, except northwestern part, and west along 

 Gulf coast to near Mobile Bay, and Alabama; also north- 

 western central parts of Florida south to about Lake Julian, 

 Polk County. Vertical range from near sea level in North 

 Carolina up to about 6,000 feet on Roan Mountain; zonal 

 range from Lower Austral up through Transition Zone, 

 mainly Upper Austral." (Nelson) 



Hitchens Cottontail. — Sylvilagus floridanus hitchensi Meams. 

 Resembling mallurus in size but paler in color, "with the 

 bright colors (black and rufous) of the upper parts obsolete, 

 giving a pale sandy fulvous shade to these parts; but the 

 .backs of the hind legs are a slightly darker chestnut than in 

 the mainland forms. The skull is larger, heavier. . . . 

 AH of the teeth are larger." (Mearns) Total length, 19 

 inches; tail vertebrae, 2.8 inches; hind foot, 3.8 inches. 

 Found on Fishermans Island and Smiths Island, Northamp- 

 ton County, Virginia. 



"Meams Cottontail. — Sylvilagus floridanus mearnsi (Allen) . 

 Size of mallurus, but ears shorter, hind feet longer, and more 

 .gray on upperparts. Hind foot, 4.2 inches. Found "West 



495 



