268 LEPORID^— LEPUS 



Skull {continued): — 3 females, Nos. 98.2.1 1.2, 98.2.1 1.3, and 98.2.17.1, 

 of the British Museum, the last being the type of de Winton's sub- 

 species occidentalis : — Occipito-nasal length, 96-6, 98-2, 98-8; condylo- 

 basal length, 86-6, 86-4, 87-4; zygomatic breadth, 45-4, 47-4, 45-2; 

 breadth at inter-orbital constriction, 22-2, 20-4, 23-2 ; breadth at 

 post-orbital constriction, 13-4, 14-4, 15; breadth of brain-case, 31-6, 

 31-4, 32-4; nasals (diagonal), 44-4, 42-4, 45; greatest breadth of 

 both nasals together, 22-4, 21-2, 21-8; length of diastema, 28, 

 27-4, 26-2; length of mandible, 74, 75, 73; length of maxillary 

 tooth - row, 18-8, 19, 19-2; length of mandibular tooth-row, 18-8, 

 20, 19-8. 



The largest skull (sex unknown) in the British Museum (No. 

 97.3.8.1, from Vaynol Park, Bangor, North Wales) exceeds the above 

 dimensions, so that they cannot be regarded as representing the 

 maximum ; the corresponding measurements are : — 100-4 — 88-8 — 48-2 

 — 22 — 13-6 — 34-8 — 44-2 — 21 — 30 — 77-6 — 18-4 — 19-2. 



Weight, in pounds and ounces : — This varies with the locality 

 and sex, females being usually heavier than males, but the average 

 for animals of both sexes in good condition is generally taken as 

 7 to 8 lbs., with a good number reaching 9, very few 10, and, rarely, 

 higher weights. According to Millais, those from Scotland scale 

 highest, especially from the Orkney Islands and the valleys of the 

 Earn and Tay ; but Harting finds Lincolnshire specimens unusually 

 heavy. Exceptional individuals may sometimes be accounted for by 

 introductions of continental races, or by their having been acci- 

 dentally emasculated. A few individuals weighing over 13 lbs. 

 have undoubtedly been killed, but some of the records mentioned 

 below may not be reliable ; all are, however, if correct, exceptional 

 and noteworthy : — 



Female, 10 lbs. 8 oz. (Laver) ; one, 10 lbs. 10 oz. (Monro, Field, 

 5th December 1874, 594); one, 10 lbs. 12 oz. (Chamberlin, Field, 

 14th February 1891,215); one, 11 lbs. (Patterson, Nature in Eastern 

 Norfolk, 318); two, 1 11 lbs. 3 oz., on two occasions {Field editorial, 

 24th December 1887, 962); one, 11 lbs. 8 oz., near Doncaster (Nevile, 

 Field, 23rd August 1873, 223); two, 11 lbs. 12 oz. (Mason, Lincoln, 

 and Frost, Suffolk, Field, 10th November 1877, 545); three, 11 lbs., 

 11 lbs. 12 oz., 12 lbs., Murthly, Perth (Millais); one, 12 lbs., Mull, 

 introduced (MacLaine of Lochbuie, Ann. Scott. Nat. Hist., 1895, 250); 

 one, 13 lbs. (Craven, Field, 1st January 1887, 14); one, 13 lbs. i| oz. 

 (Jenyns, evidently from "A. B.," Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist., v., 1832, 

 276, a female sent to Leadbeater from Norfolk); one, 13 lbs. 4 oz., 



1 It was probably one of these specimens to which Harting {Encyc. of Sport, 

 I ^97, i., 503) alludes as having been killed on the farm of Mr Tupholme, at Eastville, 

 near Boston. 



