194 



Order LAGOMORPHA 



body are buff or rusty brown, and the under parts, except for 

 the buff throat, are white. The ears are darker than the back, 

 the nape of the neck is reddish, and the under side of the tail 

 is white. 



Length measurements: head and body \3}i-\5y2 inches (350- 

 395 mm.); tail \^-2]/z inches (45-65 mm.); over-all 15i^-18 

 inches (395-460 mm.) ; hind foot 3^-4l4 inches (85-110 mm.) ; 

 ear from notch, about 2i4 inches (50-60 mm.). Weight: usu- 

 ally 2-3 pounds. 



The skull, figs. 40^^ 103f^ is about 70 mm. (2^ inches) long 

 and, except for the distinct interparietal bone, is not unlike that 

 of the jackrabbit. Other characters are noted in the key to 

 skulls. Dental formula: I 2/1, C 0/0, Pm 3/2, M 3/3. 



Fig. 106. — Young of eastern cottontail. 



Life History. — The eastern cottontail makes its home in 

 brushy or weedy fields, fig. 2, thickets along fencerows and mar- 

 gins of wood lots, forest edges, and dry bottomlands. It is un- 

 common in pastured woodland, fig. 116. It frequently forages 

 in intensively cultivated fields that are situated near permanent 

 cover. At dawn and at dusk it is often seen feeding in such 

 fields and in open grassy areas. 



In central Illinois, the male reaches breeding condition in 

 mid-February, the female in late February. The breeding sea- 

 son attains its peak during the first 2 weeks of March and con- 

 tinues into September. Usually the female produces annually 

 three litters of five or six young each. The nest is placed in a 

 depression in the soil. It has an outer lining of grasses and 

 leaves and an inner lining of hair, which the female has pulled 

 from her breast and abdomen. The nest is completely covered 

 while the young are alone in it. At birth the young have short 

 fur and are blind but capable of creeping about. In about a 



