RODENTIA—LEPORIDAE—LEPUS AUDUBONI. 609 
as in many species. The upper part of the tail is like the back, but grayer, the rest pure white 
to the roots. Head beneath and under parts generally, pure white, with a slight tinge of 
yellowish rusty externally, this color glossing the adjacent regions of the sides. The throat is 
like the sides. The nape and upper part of neck to between the shoulders are uniform pale 
rufous, deeper behind, where it tinges the variegated hairs of the back. The posterior edge of 
fore limbs and the inner of the hind ones, with the upper face of the hind feet, are pure white ; 
the upper surface of the fore feet somewhat similar, but much mixed with rusty. There is a good 
deal of light yellowish brown on the sides of the head. The dorsal surface of the ears is like 
the back of the neck at their extreme roots, then abruptly grayish or greenish white ; this color 
pervades the rest of this surface, especially along the posterior margin and edge of the ear; 
superiorly, however, it runs into a clear decided black, which covers the tip of the ear, including 
both edges, to the extent of more than half an inch. The external band is mixed gray and 
black, with scarcely any yellowish, and the hairs are very close pressed ; along the anterior 
margin, just within the anterior fringe, dusky predominates, so as to be continuous with the 
black tips. The anterior fringe, with the whole concavity of the ear, are of a greenish white, 
the hairs brownish at the base along the internal band, and slightly rusty along the tips. 
The hair is everywhere lead color at the base, except on the back of the neck and part of the 
tail; darkest on the back. In the middle of the back it passes directly through dark brown 
into black, then yellowish brown and tipped with black. On the fore part of the back, in the 
region of the rufous margin, the lead color changes into rusty. On the sides the lead color 
passes into very pale yellowish brown, which on the thighs is rather grayish. On the posterior 
portion of the back the lead color passes first into pale yellowish brown, and then has a grayish 
tint, especially on the whole rump. 
This species may be distinguished from Z. sylvaticus by its smaller size, proportionally longer 
ears, with their closer fur and well marked black tips and gray and black external band, shorter 
feet, &c. There is more red in the color of the back of LZ. sylvaticus, in which, too, the hairs 
on the back pass from lead color, through a yellowish brown or rusty, intothe brown, and the 
rufous nape is lead color at the base. There is more difference between the back and sides, 
and the line of separation more strongly marked. J. palustris has the ears much shorter and 
more obscurely marked, the fur harsher, the feet more scantily clothed ; in fact, different every 
way. The color is darker than in L. artemisia, the ears much longer, the tarsi shorter and 
more thinly padded. 
Without any authentic specimen of L. bachmani for comparison, this species appears to differ 
from the descriptions of Bachman and Waterhouse, in still longer ears, which are decidedly 
black at the tips. 
The tail is much longer, (2 to 3 inches instead of 1.25,) the hind feet considerably shorter in 
proportion. The colors are somewhat similar, and there is a close coincidence in the absence of 
any sub-basal light rusty bar to the fur on the back. I have, however, found some specimens 
from the lower Rio Grande of Texas which I consider much nearer the true LZ. bachmani, and, 
as they are widely different from the subject of the present article, I have no alternative but 
to impose upon it a new appellation. I have therefore given it the name of John James 
Audubon, the world-renowned naturalist, artist, and author—the honored teacher, friend, and 
benefactor of the writer of these pages. 
77 L 
