﻿348 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. lOo 



larger than in superciliaris, palatal bridge longer, nasal wider, basi- 

 sphenoid wider, the distance between ventral posterior edges of 

 occipital condylar ridges equal to or less than distance across spheno- 

 occipital synchrondrosis. 



Coloration. — Subterminal bands of cover hau-s of back Warm Buff to 

 nearly white, tips and terminal halves of guard hairs dark brown to 

 black, sometimes Tawny forming irregular patches; rump buffy or 

 grayish, wealdy contrasted with back; side of body grayish or buffy 

 contrasting with back or with a heavy mixture of black or dark brown. 

 Rostral patch posteriorly ochraceous ticked with dark brown, anter- 

 iorly buffy ; side of head grayish or buffy ticked with a mLxture of black 

 beneath orbits, black suborbital patch present or absent. Under side 

 of tail white or gray mixed with buffy. 



Measurements. — Of the type and two females and one male topo- 

 types, respectively: Total length, -, 427, 437, 442; hind foot, -, 83, 

 85, 85; ear, dry from notch, -, 57, 56, 52; condylobasal length, 70.3, 

 69.9, 70.6, 72.9; zygomatic breadth, 36.2, 25.5, 37.8, -; greatest length 

 of nasals, 36.8, 36.7, 37.4, 38.9; greatest combined width of nasals 

 across premaxillary sutures, 18.0, 18.0, 17.7, 18.5; least length of palatal 

 bridge, 7.6, 7.7, 7.7, 7.6; greatest distance between outer sides of 

 maxillary plates of tooth rows, 24.9, 24.5, 26.1, 24.1; alveolar length 

 of molar row, 15.2, 15.4, 15.5, 15.5. 



Specimens examined. — Twelve. The tj^e (U.S.N.M.); Margarita 

 Island, 11 (C.N.H.M.). 



Remarks. — In 1895, Robinson {in Robinson and Lyon, 1902) 

 reported cottontails were so plentiful on the Island of Margarita that 

 they were "split and dried like codfish and brought by the boat load to 

 La Guaira [Venezuela] for sale." 



SYLVILAGUS FLORIDANUS AVIUS Osgood 



Sylvilagus avius Osgood, Publ. Field Mus, Nat. Hist., zool. ser., vol. 10, p. 29, 

 1910.— Sanborn, Fieldiana: Zoology, vol. 32, p. 230, 1947. 



Sylvilagus cumanicus avius, Hummelinck, Studies on the fauna of Curagao, 

 Aruba, Bonaire and the Venezuelan Islands, vol. 1 (Utrecht), p. 68, 1940 

 (Testigos: Isla de Conejo) ; vol. 2 (The Hague), p. 105, 1940. 



Holoty pe.~AdM\i female, skin and skull, C.N.H.M. No. 16593; 

 collected February 14, 1909, by John F. Ferry; original number, 304. 



Type locality. — Testigo Grande, Islas de los Testigos, Venezuela. 



Distribution. — According to Hummelinck (1940, vol. 2, p. 106), 

 "common on the small, uninhabited Isla de Conejo de Los Testigos. 

 Not found on Tamarindo (Testigo Grande), the type locality of this 

 insular form; according to local inquiries no 'rabbits' occur on this 

 island." 



Characters. — As in margaritae but more warmly colored throughout 

 especially on rump, sides of body and hind limbs, and cheeks. 



