FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



These Rabbits may become quite abundant at times, but 

 never seem to reach the numbers attained by the Jack Rabbits 

 or the Hares in the North. The Cottontail is the host for 

 many forms of parasitic Hfe, the commonest being ticks and 

 the larvae of bot-flies. 



Although the gait of the Cottontail appears to be rapid as 

 it dashes for safety, it has none of the specializations for speed 

 seen in the Jack Rabbits, and it places its chief reliance in 

 cover. In the brush it is able to double or change direction so 

 abruptly that it can generally escape from a Dog long enough 

 to get under a brush-pile or some other obstruction which 

 baffles the larger animal. 



Genus Brachylagus ^ 



Dentition: Incisors, f ; Canines, §; Premolars, §; Molars, f =28. 



Idaho Pigmy Rabbit. — Brachylagus idahoensis 



(Merriam) 



General Description. — Smallest of the American Rabbits. 

 Form like that of a small Cottontail Rabbit; ears short and 

 broad; tail short, without white underside; summer pelage 

 brownish gray; winter pelage vinaceous. 



Color. — Sexes alike in color; noticeable seasonal variation. 



Summer. — Upperparts.' — Back brownish gray; feet and legs 

 warm buffy; sides paler than back; nape ochraceous; tail above 

 and below, buffy; ears like nape over posterior half, dusky- 

 grayish on anterior half ; legs and feet ochraceous buff. 



Underparts. — White, which may be washed with 

 buffy in some individuals; throat buffy. 



Winter. — Pelage long and very soft, lax; color above, pink- 

 ish drab, washed with gray on sides; ears cinnamon-buff 

 behind, like top of head on anterior half, with narrow black 

 edging near tip, ears inside with long, whitish hairs; forelegs 

 and feet deep cinnamon-buff, hind feet slightly paler; tail like 

 back above, somewhat grayer below; underparts white; 

 throat buffy. 



Measurements. — Total length, 11-12 inches; tail vertebrae 

 .8 inch; hind foot, 2.9 inches, ear from notch, 1.6 inches. 



^ See footnote, page 478. 



508 



