MAMMALS 357 



L. c. deserticola Mearns. Colors very pale, being ashy gray above; 

 length 542 mm.: Great Basin from southeastern Cahfornia and Nevada 

 to central Arizona and Utah; northward into Idaho. 



L. c. wallawalla Merr. Like L. c. deserticola but darker, more pink- 

 ish : northeastern California and northwestern Nevada and northward 

 to Washington. 



L. c. richardsoni Bach. Color light yellowish buff: San Joaquin 

 Valley, California. 



L. c. hcnneUi Gray. Color paler, more grayish; length 556 mm.: 

 coast of California from Graviota Pass into Lower California. 



L. c. eremicus Allen. Color much paler, dull grayish: southern 

 Arizona, east of Phoenix; Mexico. 



L. c. texianus Waterhouse. Color pale gray: western Texas, New 

 Mexico, northeastern Arizona and southwestern Colorado; Mexico. 



L. c. merriami Mearns. Color dark buffy brown: southern Texas 

 from the Trinity River to the Rio Grande; Mexico. 



L. c. melanotis Mearns. Color bright ochraceous buff: Great Plains 

 from eastern South Dakota to Oklahoma and northern Texas and west- 

 ward to the Rockies. 



2. Sylvilagus Gray. The cottontails. Size moderate; interparietal 

 bone distinct; anterior ribs narrow and rod-like; ears and legs relatively 

 short: about 15 species, about 9 in the United States, the others in 

 Mexico; the young, when born, are blind and naked. 



Key to the United States Species of Sylvilagus 



ai Tail comparatively large and loosely haired and cottony-white 

 beneath; feet well haired, 

 bi In States east of the Mississippi. 



Ci Color gray S. floridanus. 



Co Color pinkish buff; black patch between. the ears 5. transitionalis. 



2 In States west of the Mississippi. 



Ci Ear between 50 mm. and 60 mm. long. 



di Color gray .S. floridanus. 



do Color buff, in the Rockies and Great Basin 5. nuUalli. 



C2 Ear more than 65 mm. long S. auduhoni. 



ao Tail comparatively short, densely haired; white or gray beneath . 



bi In the coastal belt of the Pacific coast 5. bachmani. 



bo In the coastal belt of the south Atlantic coast 5. palustris. 



bs In the south-central States S. aquaticus. 



S. floridanus (Allen) (Lepus sylvaticus Bachman). Common 

 rabbit; gray rabbit; cottontail. Color dark gray or rusty brown; tail 

 white beneath; length 436 mm.; tail 45 mm.; hind foot 90 mm.: eastern 



