The Cotton Mouse, Pcromyscus Gossi/pinus. 123 



189-4. Sitoniys wgaceplialus Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. I'hila., 1894, 



p. 254. 

 189G. Fcruini/scus gofisyphius Rhoads, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1890, 



■p. 189. 



Type localitij. — The LeConte plantation a few miles above Riceboro, 

 Liberty County, Georgia. 



Geographic distribution. — From northern Florida north along the coast 

 at least to Bertie County, N. C. ; west through the non-mountainous 

 parts of Georgia to Alabama and perhaps Mississippi. 



Subspecific characters. — A large heavily built mouse; hind foot large; 

 tail shorter than head and body, bicolored ; ears dusky, nearly naked, 

 of moderate size ; general color of upper parts dark brown, with broad 

 darker dorsal band ; under parts gray ; feet and hands grayish white. 



Color. — Adult: Upper parts dark brown, varying from Prouts brown to 

 sei)ia, darkening along middle of back into a broad dorsal band, which 

 ranges from clove brown to black ; a black orbital ring. Under parts 

 smoke gray, the hairs plumbeous at base ; feet grayish white ; ears dusky ; 

 tail bicolored, dusky above, grayish white below. Nursing young : Black- 

 ish slate above, slate gray below ; tail and feet as in adult. Young 

 m second pelage: General color of upper parts duller, more hair brown, 

 often with a sooty cast ; otherwise like adult, dorsal stripe well marked.* 



Size. — Average measurementsof twelve adult specimens from St. Marys 

 Ga. : total length, 177.66; tail vertebne, 70.25; hind foot, 22.35. Max- 

 imum size (of largest old adult in above average) : total length, 197 ; 

 tail vertebrse, 82.5 ; hind foot, 22. 



Specimens examined, 37, from the following localities : 



Georgia: St. Marys, 35. 



North Carolina : Bertie County, 2. 



Peromyscus gossypinus mississippiensis Rhoads. 



1896. Peromyscus gossypinus mississippiensis Rhoads, Pi-oc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila., 1896, p. 189. 



Type locality. — Samlmrg, Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee. 



Geographic distribution. — The Mississippi bottoms in Tennessee ; limits 

 of range unknown. 



Subspecific characters. — Size about that of typical gossypinus ; tail a little 

 longer; hind foot larger; colors paler and more yellowish; dorsal band 

 less well defined, without black orbital ring. 



Color. — Adult: Upper parts varying from cinnamon brown to russet, 

 darkening on middle of back into an ill-defined dorsal band about 

 mummy brown ; no dark orbital ring ; under parts grayish white, the 

 haii-s plumbeous at base ; ears dusky ; tail bicolored, dusky above, white 

 below ; feet grayish white. 



*The young in this pelage are much smaller than the adults, but as 

 they frequently breed they have the apjiearance of full-grown animals, 

 and gave rise to LeConte' s species Ilesperomys cognatus. 



