38 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



Fio. 4. Skull of Zaput 

 (Eozapus) setchuanus (co- 

 type) from Ta-tsien-lou, 

 Szechuen, China. X 1J. 



frontal region less swollen; rostrum shorter and less attenuated; zygo- 

 mata shorter, the maxillary portion more nearly perpendicular to main 

 axis of skull, the jugal portion heavier and nearly straight; palate 

 longer, the postpalatal notch not quite reaching 

 posterior plane of molars (in American species 

 commonly exceeding that point) ; nasals prolonged 

 farther posteriorly and forking (in American spe- 

 cies generally irregularly truncated) ; bullae larger; 

 the coronoid process of mandible not ascending 

 so high, but longer, broader, and straighter, and 

 the coronoid notch deeper and less rounded than 

 in Z. hudsonius (fig. 4). 

 Measurements. The following measurements from Pousargues will 

 serve for comparison with other species : * Vieux,' head and body, 100; 

 tail, 120; foot, 31; 'adulto,' head and body, 80; tail, 103; foot, 30; 

 'semiadulte,' head and body, 70; tail, 95; foot, 28. Skull No. 2: 1 

 Zygomatic breadth, 11.6; iuterorbital constriction, 3.6; incisor to post- 

 palatal notch, 8.5; fronto-palatal depth at middle of molar series, 5.5. 

 No. 3: Zygomatic breadth, 11.5; interorbital constriction, 3.8; incisor 

 to postpalatal notch, 8.2; -fronto-palatal depth at middle of molar 

 series, 5.6. 



General remarks. This very interesting species was described from 

 three skins in alcohol accompanied by imperfect skulls. Its describer, 

 M. E. De Pousargues, discusses its color and other peculiarities in con- 

 siderable detail, and presents a table showing the measurements of the 

 three specimens, together with the corresponding measurements of a 

 specimen of Z. hudsonius, taken from Coues. These measurements of 

 hudsonius (head and body, 85; tail, 135; foot, 27), if all from one indi- 

 vidual, must have been taken from a distorted specimen and do not 

 give a fair idea of the proportions, the foot measurement, 27 mm., 

 being evidently too small for an animal with the tail measuring 135. 

 On this account the proportional differences between setchuanus and hud- 

 sonius are exaggerated. Through the courtesy of Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, 

 jr., I have been able to examine two of these skins and the skulls, gen- 

 erously loaned to him by M. Pousargues. The color of these skins is 

 apparently not much changed by the action of alcohol. The brown 

 ventral stripe and comparatively short, hairy-tail with its white tip, 

 constitute the most striking peculiarities. The hind foot is about the 

 same size as in hudsonius; the ear shorter and broader than in the 

 American species. 2 As already stated, the skulls are all imperfect. 



1 These numbers are provisional, and owing to the imperfect condition of the skulls 

 only these measurements could be taken. 



2 The following table will serve to show the approximate ratio of width to height 

 of ear in Zapus insignia, Z. hudsonius, and Z. setchuanua (alcoholic specimens) : 



