36 MONOGRAPHS OF NORTH AMERICAN RODENTIA. 
SIGMODON HISPIDUS, Say & Ord. 
Cotton Rat. 
Sigmodon hispidum, Say & Orp, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. iv, 1825, 354, pl. x, f. 5, 6, 7, 8; Zool. Journ. 
ii, 1825, 296, pl. x, f. 5, 6, 7,8 —WaGnrr, Suppl. Schreb. iii, 1848, 556.—Aup. & Bacu., Q. N. A. 
i, 1849, 229, pl. xxx.—Bamp, M. N. A. 1857, 502.—ALLEN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. ii, 1871, 
183.—Cours, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1874, 176. 
Arvicola hispidus, GopMAN, Am. Nat. Hist. ii, 1826, 68. 
Arvicola hortensis, HARLAN, Fn. Amer. 1825, 138; Med. & Phys. Res. 1835, 49, pl. —, f. 5, 6, 7, 8.—GrirFITH, 
Anim. Kingd. v, 1827, sp. 547. 
Arvicola ferrugineus, HARLAN, Am. Journ. Sci. x, 1825, 285 (rusty var.). 
Arvicola teviana, Aup. & Bacu., Q. N. A. iii, 1853, 229, pl. exlvii, f. 2 (not Arvicola tecana, AUD. & Bacn., 
ibid. p. 319, which is Hesperomys leucopus). 
Sigmodon berlandieri, Bairp, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. vii, 18595, 333; M. N. A. 1857, 504; U.S. & Mex. 
Bound. Surv. ii, 1859, Mammals, p. 44, pl. vi, f. 2, 2" (Texas; Mexico).—Tomes, Proce. Zool. 
Soc. 1861, 281 (Guatemala). 
Hesperomys (Deilemys) toltecus, Di Saussurn, Rey. & Mag. Zool. 1860, p. —, pl. ix, fig 3° (Cordilleras of 
Vera Cruz). 
Diacnosts.—S. caudd subnudd truncum sine capite subequante ; pedibus 
validis, digito 5” vir 1"™ superante, nec valde ultra articulum proximum 4" por- 
recto ; plantis nudis, tesselatis, 6-tuberculatis ; auriculis magnis orbiculatis, intus 
hirsutis extus subnudis ; rostro obtuso, piloso (septo narium excepto); mystaceis 
sparsis brevissimis ; vellere hispido ; supra nigro badioque intime limbatus ; infra 
ex griseo albidus, pedibus dorso concoloribus, caudd sub-bicolore. 
Hasirat.—Southern United States and Mexico, especially coastwise. 
North to the Carolinas. South to Vera Cruz and Guatemala. | 
A sigmodont rat, with a nearly naked tail about equaling the trank with- 
out the head (from a little less than the trunk alone to about the length of the 
trunk and head together) ; large hind feet, of which the 1st and 5th toes are 
but little unequal in length, the latter reaching but little beyond the base of 
the 4th (never to the penultimate joint of the 4th); entirely naked granulated 
soles, with six small tubercles; large rounded ears, hairy inside, nearly naked 
outside; blunt muzzle, furry except at the septum, and very few whiskers 
hardly reaching to the ears; the pelage long and hispid, from admixture of 
much bristly hair, finely lined above with black and brownish-yellow, below 
grayish-white ; feet not white above, and black below; tail very indistinctly 
bicolor. 
It will probably be admitted that the foregoing diagnosis is tolerably 
stringent and reasonably specific; yet we propose to prove it comprehensive 
enough to include several nominal species. 
It is unnecessary to go into any elaborate description of this familiar ani- 
mal, viewing the several excellent accounts already in print, and especially 
since the essential characters have been fully elucidated in our notice of the 
