On neio Species o/Sylvilagus/rowj Cohmhia. 31 



II. — Two new Species o/'Sylvilai^us/7*o/n Colomlia. 

 * By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The British Musenm owes to Frere Apollinaris ]\Iaria of 

 l)o<Tota four cotton-tails of the genus Sylvihujns from the 

 iieighbouriiood of that place. They beh)ng to two species, 

 neither of wliich can I identify witli any older-known form. 



One is a member of the short-eared group of which S. sur- 

 daster and meridensis are members, and may be called 



Syhilagus apollinans^ sp. n. 



Size about as in S. meridensis. Fur long, of medium 

 texture, the longer hairs of tlie back about 19-20 mm. in 

 kngtii ; underfur soft and fine, about 11-12 mm. long. 

 General colour as usual, mixed black and greyish bufFy, the 

 dorsal hairs with dark bases (about 8 mm.), with a 4 mm. 

 ])ale ring, and tiie long black tip about 7 mm. in length. 

 The general tone resulting is darker than in the longer-eared 

 section of the genus, paler tiian in surddster, less smoky than 

 in meridensis. Under surface white witiiout buffy or cinna- 

 mon tinge, the belly-hairs very faintly greyer at their bases. 

 Face with rather well-marked supraorbital white stripe, and 

 a second one along the hinder end of the cheek. Ears very 

 short, little more than half the length of the nuchal patch, well- 

 haired, the proectotegrizzk'd with the margin black, the met- 

 entote white. Nuchal patch large, strong pinkish cinnamon. 

 Upper surface of forearms, hands, lower leg, and feet pinkish 

 cinnamon or cinnamon-buft", tiie ti{)S of the digits alone 

 whitish. Hump more buffy than back, the tail, wliich is a 

 mere little knob, similar to it for the most part, but with 

 a darker area above, and white bcluw. 



Skull broad, upj)er surface of the brain-case very strongly 

 granulated. l*ostorbital processes well developed, slightly 

 spatulate, just free of the cranial bones terminally. Palatal 

 foramina eniling level with the front (slV^h of the anterior 

 premolar, narrow, not widened mesially, their broadest point 

 at their posterior end. Palatal bridge fairly broad, without 

 any trace of a posterior projecting spine. Bulla: lo-t in typo, 

 but those of a young specimen which appears to be of tiie 

 same sjjecies fairly well develojjcd, markedly larger than in 

 S. surdastcr. 



