Vol. XXIV, pp. 225-230 October 31, 1911 



PROCEEDINGS 



I IF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



GENERAL NOTES. [228-229 



THE VOLCANO HABBIT OF MOUNT [ZTACCIHÜATL.* 



In the catalog of the objects exhibited by tbe Mexican "Comisión 

 Geográfico-Exploradora " at the Columbian Exposition in ChicagotPro- 

 fessor Augustin Diaz figures (pl. 42) a rabbit of the genus Romerolagus , 



under the ñame "C j<> del Volcán {Lepus diazi Ferrari -Pérez, sp. 



iiovl." Tlii- píate is not mentioned hy Merriam in the origina] descrip- 



tion of Romerolagus nehonit from Mt. Po] atepetl, or by Nelson in bis 



monograph of the Rabbits of North America,§ though it isalluded to by 

 an anonymoua editorial writer in Natural Science fui- March, 1897. II 



The validity of the specific ñame diazi is unqueationable under the 

 International Cude of Zoológica! Nomenclatura ( Art. 25, and Opinión 1). 

 According to the same Code the authority for the ñame is Diaz, not 

 Ferrari-Pérez, s-ince Lepus diazi remained in MS. until the publication of 

 the catalog by Diaz, and no statement is anywhere made that "s..nn- 

 other person is responsible for [the publication of] said nana' and its Lndi- 

 cation [ = i Ilustra tiiin]" (Art. 21, and Opinión 4). 



Xiiiiienelaturilv the case presente no difficulties, but zoologically it has 

 hitherto been obscured by the uncertainty as to whether the " Volcano 

 Rabbit" was idéntica! with Romerolagus nrhoni. This donbt has now 

 been removed bj the kindness of Professor Ferrari-Pérez, through which 

 I have been enabled to examine the type aiei a second specimen of 

 Romerolagus diazi. Both were taken in Puebla, mi the eastern slope of 

 .Mt. [ztaccihuatl, a región about fiíteen miles from the type-locality of 

 Romerolagus nelsuni. 



As compared with four skins of Romerolagus ntlsoni the two sjieeimeus 

 uf /,'. diazi (both marked female, the type taken in March, L885) show 

 slightly less black in the grizzle of dorsal aurface and slightly inore gray 

 un cheeks, characters probably due tu the fading usual in tnounted spec- 



* By permission of the Seeretary of the Smithsonian Instttution. 



•i* Exposición Internacional Columbina de Chicago en 1893 I Comisión Geográfico- 

 Exploradora I de la 1 República Mexicana I Catálogo I 'le los objectos que componen el 

 contingente de la Comisión, precidido de algunas notas I sobre su organización y 

 trabajos I por el ingeniero director I Agustín Díaz I Coronel de Estado Mayor Especial, 

 Ex-Profesor en el Colegio Militar yenla I Escuela Especial de ingenieros I Xalapa- 

 Enriquez. Marzo de isa:; I Tipografía de la ( ¡omisión i ieográfico-Exploradora. I 



t Proe. Biol. Soc. Washington, X, pp. IU9-174. December 'Ja, 1896. 



JNorth American Fauna No 29. August 31, lana. 



II X. |i.l51. 



■U— Prtoc. lina.. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXIV, 1911. 







