MAMMALS 355 



I. Lepus L. Size large; ears and hind legs very long; no inter- 

 parietal bone in the adult; third to fifth ribs broad and flattened: 

 circumpolar; 15 species in America, 7 in the United States; the young, 

 when born, are well furred and have their eyes open. 



Key to the Species of Lepus 



ai In the eastern States L. americanus. 



a2 In the States west of the Mississippi. 



bi Tail pure white L. catnpestris. 



hi Tail not pure white, but with black on top. 



Ci Color white in winter, there being 2 annual moults; 

 ear proportionally short and broad, the length not 

 being over 85 mm. 



di In western Washington L. washingtoni. 



d2 In the Rockies L. bairdi. 



Co Color in winter similar to that in summer, there being i 

 annual moult; ear over 125 mm. long, 

 di Color of flanks similar to that of belly, and sharply 



different from that of back L. allcni. 



6.2. Color of flanks similar to that of back L. calif or nicus. 



L. americanus Erxleben. White rabbit; varying hare; snowshoe 

 rabbit. Color grayish or reddish brown in summer and white in winter; 

 length 470 mm.; tail 43 mm.; hind foot 133 mm.: northern America 

 from Berings Strait to the Atlantic; southward to British Columbia, 

 central Minnesota and Michigan; throughout New England and New 

 York and in the mountains into Virginia; mainly the Canadian zone, in 

 swamps and wet thickets; from 2 to 7 young in a litter. 



Subspecies of L. americanus 



L. a. americanus Erx. Color in summer pale tawny brown; borders 

 of ears conspicuously white: Hudson Bay to northern Quebec and 

 Ontario, and in Michigan to Saganaw Bay; westward to the Canadian 

 Rockies. 



L. a. virginianus Harlan. Color in summer bright rusty brown; 

 borders of ears whitish; length 518 mm.: New England south of the 

 Penobscot; New York and southward into the mountains of Virginia 

 and West Virginia, also in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. 



L. a. slruthopus Bangs. Color in summer dull tawny brown; length 

 474 mm.: Maine east of the Penobscot and eastward into Newfound- 

 land; Canadian zone. 



L. a. phcEonotus Allen. Color in summer dull yellowish buff; length 

 464 mm.: northern Minnesota and Wisconsin and western half of the 

 northern peninsula of Michigan; Canadian zone. 



