602 U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS /OOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



LEPUS ARTEMISIA, Bach man. 



Sage Rabbit. 



Ltpttt artemuia, BACHMAN, J. A. N. Sc. Phila. VIII, I. 1839, 94. IB. in Townsend's Narrative, 1839, 329. 

 WATERHOCSI, Nat. Hist Mamm. II, 1848, 126. 

 AUD. & BACH. N. Am. Quad. II, 1851, 272 ; pi. Ixxxviii. 

 Lejnu artemisiacus, (BACH.) WAGNER, Suppl. Schreber, IV, 1844, 114. 

 ? Lepia miOaUi, BACH, J. A. N. Sc. Phila. VII, 137, 345 ; pi. xxii. IB. VIII, 1839, 79. IB. Townsend's Narr. 



1839, 313. 



WAGNKR, Suppl. Scbreb. IV, 1844, 116. 

 WATTOHOUSB, N. H. Mamm. II, 1848, 122. 

 AUD. & BACH. N. Am. Quad. II, 1851, 300 ; pi. xciv. 



SP. Cn. Among the smallest of the American rabbits ; considerably less than L. sylvaticus. Ears about as long as the 

 head. Tail moderate. Hind feet longer then the head ; very densely padded. Fur soft and full. 



Above, mixed black and brownish white ; the black much developed posteriorly. Sides rather paler. Thighs and 

 rump gray. Tail above like the back. Back of the neck and fore legs rust color. Throat and sides of the neck -with a 

 tinge of pale rusty ; along the edge of the abdomen this color concentrated almost into a lateral stripe ; paler than the 

 back of the neck. Edge of the ear whitish ; external and internal bands grayish brown. The internal face rusty at base, 

 then hoary, as on the exterior, for much of the surface. A narrow margin of black along the tip. Fur nowhere passing 

 from the basal lead color to dark brown without an intermediate bar of yellowish brown. 



Size considerably less than L. sylvaticus. Ears about as long as the head, pretty well furred. 

 Feet moderate, very densely clothed with fur. Fur everywhere rather soft and full, especially 

 on the rump. Tail moderate. 



General color on the back, mixed black and brownish white, the former rather predominat 

 ing. Sides lighter and with less of black, the transition, however, not abrupt. Rump and 

 sides of thighs ash gray and black, different from the back. Upper part of the neck, clear 

 pale rufous ; this color seen also on the outside surface of the fore legs. The under surface of 

 the head white ; the abdomen and inside of limbs white, with a tinge of yellowish rufous, 

 especially about the thighs ; this tint concentrated along the edge of the abdomen almost into a 

 band. The under part and sides of the neck are yellowish brown, decidedly different in tint 

 from the sides of the body posteriorly. The anterior edge of hind legs is white tinged with 

 rufous. Tail above like the back ; beneath, white. The ears are whitish on their posterior 

 edge. At the base of their dorsal surface they are rufous, shading into a very pale tint of the 

 same, then ashy. A narrow border around the tip of the ear is black ; the external bands 

 mixed grayish and brown, like the lower part of the back. The inside of the ear is ashy white, 

 brightest along the margin above ; the internal band is like the external. 



The fur is everywhere lead color at the base. On the anterior portion of the back, below the 

 rufous portion, it shades into rufous, then brown, then light yellowish brown and with a slight 

 tip of black ; proceeding towards the rump the rufous bar becomes more brown, then paler and 

 paler, until the prevailing tint here is brownish white or gray. The subterrninal brown band 

 continues much the same until near the rump, when it gradually almost disappears. The sub- 

 terminal light bar is anteriorly very light yellowish brown, then becomes paler, until it is light 

 gray posteriorly. The black ends to the hairs are much developed on the back. On the sides 

 the colors are lighter to begin with, and become paler posteriorly to such an extent that, on the 



