MURIDA—SIGMODONTES—SIGMODON HISPIDUS. 41 
limits. And, on the other hand, Nos. 6996 and 7210 have feet a trifle under 
an inch, yet are positively identical with No. 9508 for example. And in only 
fifteen Mexican skins the feet range thus: 0.97, 0.98, 1.05, 1.10, 1.10, 1.12, 
WA 1 eG old ed 20) 1:25541:30, 0-30, 137i! 
Mr. Allen has already (/. c. 184) called attention to the fact that Professor 
Jaird’s own measurements of S. “berlandieri” do not bear out his statement 
that the tail is “equal to or longer than the trunk.” ‘In the latter [S. hespidus], 
the length of the tail to the length of the trunk is as 69 to 100; in the for- 
mer (S. ber/andieri), as 63 to 100!” Moreover, if the statement were correct, 
it would conflict with Professor Baird’s generic characters; fur he says 
(p. 501, B. N. A.) that in Szgmodon the tail is “shorter than the trunk.” 
But color bas been adduced also, and we are to inquire about this. No. 
’ 
566, the type of ‘“‘berlandieri”, certainly does not show us the slightest 
shade of color different from many Carolina skins; the same is the case with 
some other examples of “berlandieri”. Others, however, as Nos. 9021 and 
8820, are appreciably paler than any Carolina ones we have seen; being 
“orayish yellow brown lined with black”, exactly as stated by Professor 
Baird; and this pallor is even surpassed by Nos. 9284 and 9385. Here the 
bleached color is striking; indeed, the animals are as whitish as <Arvicola 
“Dbreweri” compared with r7parius ; and the tail of one of them (the other’s 
{ail is broken off) is longer than usual, though still an inch shorter than the 
trunk. But these are the specimens with the enormous feet, and so differ 
from “berlandieri” quite as much as they agree with it; and they are associated 
with other specimens quite as dark colored as the ordinary Carolina /ispidus. 
Some of Professor Sumichrast’s skins are typical of the ‘Hesperomys 
toltecus” of De Saussure (/. c.), upon which this naturalist based his subgenus 
Deilemys. There is no question of the accuracy of this identification ; the 
specimens agree in every particular* with De Saussure’s elaborate and faithful 
description. When we began to examine the animal, we were inclined to 
think it different from S. hispidus, viewing the remarkably small feet, which 
appear the smaller when compared with such feet as those of Nor 9384 for 
*Save one. De Saussure, in commenting upon the aflinities of Deilemys, remarks its likeness to 
Oryzomys, but says the skull lacks the supraorbital “créte” as:ribed to Oryzomys by Baird; whereas we 
find it present in a skull of Sigmodon toltecus, taken from No. 7210. But De Saussure may have misap- 
prehended Baird’s remarks, or may have had a skull not quite mature. The raised rim of the orbits is 
not fairly shown except by perfectly adult animals. Moreover, we find it in many other Mexican 
species, even in such a delicate one as Nyctemys sumichrasti, De Saussure, in which this author likewise 
says it does not exist. 
