MAMMALS CANIDAE CANIS LATRANS. 119 



Should adult specimens from the locality of Canis frustror agree with them, then this name 

 may he selected. It is possible that this specimen may belong to a Mexican species, which 

 extends into the Territories of the United States only along the central table land and moun 

 tain range. The description by Wagner of a Mexican specimen will answer, in the absence of 

 notes on the skeleton, for Canis latrans in general. What the Lyciscus cayotis or Mexican 

 coyote of Hamilton Smith may be I am not at present able to say. 



Since the preceding article was written, additional specimens have been received without 

 shedding much more light on the subject of the number of species of prairie or coyote wolves. 

 Some of these from the Upper Missouri agree very well with those described. One collected in 

 the Mesilla valley has a very full and long tail, larger than in most others. I have not time 

 now to remove the skull and ascertain how far it agrees with the others described from the same 

 vicinity. Its character of densely and fully furred tail and general color approximate it closely 

 to the specimen from the San Francisco mountains, No. 483, and substantiate still more the 

 remarks made above on the possible existence of a coyote in the Rocky mountain region, speci 

 fically distinct both from that of the Upper Missouri and of the Pacific coast. 



The following detailed description of a fresh specimen of Canis latrans from the Upper Mis 

 souri, by Maximilian, taken from his Reise in das innere Nord Amerika, II, 1841, 96, will be 

 read with interest. 



Canis latrans. The prairie wolf in size and shape occupies a position exactly intermediate 

 between the wolf and fox, in dentition, however, agreeing more closely with the wolf, inas 

 much as the front teeth are lapped on either side. The shape is wolf-like, the neck short and 

 thick, the body thick ; the head, however, is smaller and somewhat more like that of the fox. 

 The tail is short and thick, as in the wolf, the legs tolerably high ; the snout longer and more 

 pointed than in the wolf ; the ear is tolerably pointed, strong, firm, and shaped as in the wolf. 



The head is broad above, the end of the nose black and moist, the internal ear well haired, 

 the whiskers long and black ;* other similar long hairs are implanted above the eye and behind 

 the corner of the mouth ; the tail hangs down as far as the heel joint, and with the points of 

 the hair reaches over half the heel. 



Color. The entire animal is of a dirty greyish yellow ; reddish yellow on the ears and top 

 of the nose, with black tips to the hairs on the neck, back, tip, and upper surface of the tail, 

 and of the sides of the neck and limbs, bright rusty yellow, or rusty reddish. Lower parts and 

 inner side of the limbs whitish. Ears rusty yellow, with scattered black tips to the hairs ; 

 internally whitish. Forehead and region about the eye pale greyish brown, with whitish tips 

 to the hairs. Edge of upper jaw whitish ; lower jaw margined externally with blackish, else 

 where whitish. 



The hairs on the upper parts of the body are 4 inches long, close, ash grey at the root, then 

 yellowish red for two-thirds the length, then with a blackish brown space, then whitish, and 

 finally tipped with black. Hairs on the sides If inches long. In many individuals the rust 

 color is entirely wanting, and a whitish grey predominates. The pupil is round, the iris is 

 greyish yellow. 



