
MR. E. T. BENNETT’S REMARKS ON THE GENUS LAGOTIS. 333 
softness. The hairs in both species, especially those which form the mass of the fur, 
are wavy for the greater part of their length, their tips only being straight: those of 
the middle of the sides measure, when their natural waves are not interfered with, three 
quarters of an inch in Lag. pallipes, and an inch and a quarter in Lag. Cuvieri. The 
longer and more bristle-like hairs, the black tips of which project slightly beyond the 
general mass of the fur, are rather more numerous in Lag. pallipes than in Lag. Cuvieri : 
but, notwithstanding this, the general tint of the colouring is nearly the same in both 
animals, a greyish ash-colour tinged with yellowish and varying in intensity in undula- 
tions ; along the middle of the back the black-tipped hairs prevail to an extent which 
causes an indication of a darker-coloured line. The individual hairs have the same 
colour in both species ; and it is essential to remark that their basal portion is dusky 
and by no means brown. The under surface of Lag. pallipes is of a rather pale fulvous 
colour, all the hairs being tipped with that tint, though they are equally dusky at the 
base with those of the upper surface: the fulvous colour extends along the under sur- 
face to the mouth, becoming paler as it advances forwards, and fading almost into 
white under the lower jaw; surrounding the vent its intensity is considerable; it 
reaches nearly half way up the sides, and is almost sharply divided from the grey of 
the upper surface ; and it occupies the whole of the inner side of the upper part of the 
limbs and the entire feet, being, however, on the latter of a much paler tint, approaching 
to whiteness: in Lag. Cuvieri the under surface is only less grey than the upper, and 
the feet are almost purely grey, the hairs which cover them being partly dusky and 
partly whitish, and having no intermixture of yellow or fulvous. The colouring of the 
under surface, and especially of the feet, is consequently strongly distinctive between 
the two species of Lagotis ; and that of the long bristles which form a high crest along 
the upper surface of the tail and project beyond its extremity, affords another equally 
well marked character: in Lag. Cuvieri the greater number of these rigid hairs are 
whitish, and with these are intermixed (somewhat in tufts) others which are black, 
those of the extremity being entirely black ; in Lag. pallipes it is only at the commence- 
ment of the crest that there is any intermixture of whitish or black hairs; these are 
immediately replaced by others of a dull ferruginous or rusty tint, which are continued 
to the extremity of the tail and project beyond it in a tuft of a brighter and deeper rust 
colour than the adjoining ones. The under surface and sides of the tail are covered in 
both species by the same short, rigid, adpressed hairs, of a mixed grey colour, which is 
deeper beneath, and forms along the middle of the under surface an almost black line. 
Such are the principal differences manifested by the second species of Lagotis on a 
comparison of it with the one which formed the type of the genus. Subjoined are a few 
of the more important admeasurements of each, derived from the skins. 
Lag. Cuvieri. Lag. pallipes. 
Length of the body andhead . . . . . dt 1 4 T 3 
Length of the tail, exclusive of the hair . . . . . 1l+ 9 
Length of the ear . . Tn Meee dae = eS ae wd 21 
Length of the hinder fits iy he Loe Oe 34 3 
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