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U. S. P. R. It. EXP. AND SURVEYS ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



List of specimens. 



LEPUS AQUATICUS, B a c h m a n . 



Water Rabbit. 



Lepus aquaticus, BACHMAN, J. A. N. Sc. Phila. VII, n, 1837, 319 ; pL xxii, f. 2. IB. VIII, i, 1839, 78. 

 WATERHOPSE, N. H. Mamm. II, 1848, 112. 

 ADD. & BACH. N. Am. Quad. I, 1849, 287 ; pi xxxvii. 

 Lepus douglassi, var. 1, GRAY. Charlesw. Mag. I, 1837, 586. 



Sp. CH. Considerably larger than L. sylvalicus. Head and incisors very large. Ears scarcely half the head; hind feet 

 shorter than the head ; pointed ; the claws uncovered. Tail as long as the ears. Color above, yellowish brown, closely lined 

 with black. Sides grayer. Tail above, rump, and legs, chestnut rusty brown. Tail beneath, and belly, cottony white; a 

 black spot on the forehead. Under fur on the anterior portion of the back, without any yellowish brown tip. 



This species possesses many of the peculiar characteristics found in L. palustris, but differs 

 by several strongly marked characters. Like it, it is aquatic in habits, and the hind feet exhibit, 

 the same slenderness, owing to the reduced depth of the pads ; they are pointed at the toes, 

 instead of being bluntly truncated, and the claws are all distinctly visible. 



This animal is of very large size, scarcely inferior in weight even to our western hares ; it is 

 certainly larger than L. americanus. With this bulk, the very short hind feet and ears give 

 to it a very peculiar appearance. The head and incisor teeth are enormously large in propor 

 tion, the latter especially. The ears are very short, but little more than half the length of the 

 head ; they are very broad, and rounded at the apex. They are well covered with rather long 

 hairs, not very compactly arranged. The feet are very short, considerably less than the head. 

 The pads are scanty, and the terminal portion of the foot is acute ; the claws risible from 

 above. The tail is rather unusually long, with the hairs, equalling, or exceeding the ears. 



The fur is very coarse and harsh, owing to the length and predominance of the bristly hair. 



The predominant color of the upper parts and sides is a light yellowish brown, but so much 

 overlaid with black as to have this very prominent. In some specimens the black is much 

 aggregated ; in others it is more uniformly distributed. The sides are considerably paler, with 



