RODENTIA LEPORIDAE LEPUS WASHINGTONII. 583 



LEPUS WASHINGTONII, Baird. 



Red Hare. 



Lepus washingtonii, BAIRD, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil. VII, April, 1855, 333. 



Ears shorter than the head ; hind feet much longer than the head . Size about that of L. sylvaiicus, or a little larger. 

 Fur very soft and full on the body and beneath the feet. Tail very short. Back, sides, and throat reddish brown ; the 

 former with many glossy black hairs. Tail lead color above, rusty white beneath. Abdomen pure white. Ears black on 

 the posterior margin and tip of their inner surface ; the rest of this surface pale reddish brown, except on the exterior band. 



This beautiful species occupies a position intermediate between L. sylvaticus and L. americanus. 

 It is about the size of the former, and colored somewhat like the latter. Two specimens received 

 agree in color. It is not yet known whether the species changes in the winter ; the specimens, 

 however, were procured in February, March, and April, when the winter dress is usually still 

 retained. 



The fur is dense and soft, very different in this respect from L. sylvaticus. The feet are very 

 well furred ; in fact, the pads are so full that the hairs curl not unlike prepared horsehair. 

 The ears are rather shorter than the head, though longer than in L. sylvaticus. The tail is 

 very short. 



The upper parts and sides of the head and body, throat, and external surfaces of the limbs, 

 are of a rich reddish brown, or dull chestnut, darkest on the back, where the color is lined with 

 black. There is a slight mixture of black hairs on the other regions more or less distinct. 

 The tail is rusty white beneath ; above, dark lead color. The abdomen is pure rich white ; the 

 chin grayish white. The posterior edge of the fore legs, and the interior face of the hind ones, 

 are whitish, more or less mixed with reddish. The posterior edge of the thigh shows a good 

 deal of dark lead color. 



The fur on the back is dark lead color for most of its length, shading through a very faint 

 rusty tinge into black ; it is then reddish brown, and finally tipped with black. Interspersed 

 are many long hairs entirely glossy black ; the abundance of these posteriorly imparts a pre 

 vailing black tint. On the sides, the pale rusty beyond the lead color is more intense, and the 

 brown is very light. In one specimen all the hairs on the belly are lead color at the base ; in 

 another they are white anteriorly. In both, the pads on the under surface of the tarsus are 

 strongly relieved against the portion underneath the toes, which is dirty yellowish on all the 

 feet. 



The external and internal bands of the ears are like the back ; on the exterior surface the 

 hairs within the internal band are whitish. The posterior edge of the ear is whitish, invaded 

 above by the brownish black of the inner face. This face is black on the posterior margin, the 

 color commencing about one-fourth its length from the base, and, widening above, forms a tip 

 to the ear of half an inch in length, slightly invading the external band. The rest of the ear 

 is pale reddish brown. The nape and back of the neck are of the same reddish brown with the 

 back, without any black, no appreciable variation being discernible as in L. sylvaticus, L. 

 palustris, and other species. 



The skull of this species (1223) is remarkable for its straight outline above, and its general 

 depression, compared with L. sylvaticus and americanus. The portion anterior to the molars 

 is longer, narrower, and the sides more vertical than in L. sylvaticus. 



