190 CALIFORNIA MAMMADS. 



to enable the species to hold its own, with birds and beasts prey- 

 ing on them, epidemics of disease decimating their ranks, and 

 man, with dog and gmi, assisting to upset Natures balance. For- 

 tunately for the Hare, man also destroys his hereditary enemy, 

 the coyote, else he would become exterminated. 



Lepus texianus tularensis Mkrriam. (Of Tulare.) 



TULARE HARE. 



Very similar tO' dcscrticola; averaging paler and more yel- 

 lowish ; back less grizzled with black. 



Type locality, Ahla, Tulare County, California. 



This is a pallid form' inhabiting the southern part of the San 

 Joaquin Valley and the Carrizo Plain to the w^estward. It is 

 very abundant in many parts of this range and is the predominant 

 species captured in the large drives made in the San Joaquin Val- 

 ley, in fa;ct almost tlie only one taken in some of the drives. These 

 drives are large surrounds and the Hares are driven toward and 

 into corrals of wire netting. Tbey are often very successful, sev- 

 eral thousand being taken in a surround. 



There are a few Hares in some of the higher mountains of 

 Southern California, in the more open parts of the pine forests. 

 They do not differ from dcscrticola sufficiently to be worth separa- 

 ting. They appear tO' be clearer gray and have shorter ears, judg- 

 ing from my scanty material, obtained in the San Bernardino 

 Mountains. 



Subgenus SylvilagUS. 



Interparietal present in adults as a small distinct bone; rost- 

 rum of medium length ; skull and teeth light ; suproarbital process 

 small, either united to cranium posteriorly enclosing a small fora- 

 men, or free; size medium or small. 



Lepus auduboni Baird. (For John J. Audubon.) 



AUDUBON WOOD-HARE. 



Above clay color mixed with black, the tips of the hairs be- 



