338 THE ANIMALS OF THE UNITED STATES 



beneath rocks and stones. Apparently they drink nothing but the dew which 

 gathers on the cactuses, almost the only plants of their native home, and feed 

 on the roots, seeds, and leaves of the grass growing sparsely between the cactuses. 

 The common kangaroo-rat (Dipodomys phillipsi), which inhabits the deserts east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, is distinguished by four toes on the hind-feet, is mouse- 

 brown above, and tan-coloured on the flanks, with the under-parts, the tip of the 

 tail, and a spot over each eye whitish. 



North America is the home of several kinds of hares, some of 



which are locally known as " cotton-tails " and others as " Jack- 

 rabbits." The most northern of these, such as the polar hare, have been mentioned 

 in the last chapter. Of the others, two, namely the large prairie-hare (L. cam- 

 pestris) and the smaller varying hare (L. americanus), turn white in winter ; the 

 former having long ears and the whole tail white, whereas in the latter the ears 

 are shorter and the upper surface of the tail is dark. Among those which do not 

 change colour, the wood-hare, grey rabbit, or cotton-tail (L. sylvaticus) is a 

 ^ery variable southern form, with numerous local races. Nearly allied to the 

 prairie-hare, or white-tailed Jack-rabbit, are several species distinguished by having 

 a more or less distinct black stripe on the upper surface of the tail. These include 

 a buff-bellied species found in California, Northern Mexico and South-western 

 Oregon (L. californicus), a large, long-legged hare from Southern Arizona and 

 Sonora (L. alleni), the Texan Jack-rabbit (L. texianus), and the black-eared hare 

 (L. melanotis) of the Great Plains, which differs from the third only by its shorter 

 ears and richer coloration. 



The wood-hare and its relatives, forming the subgenus Sylvilagus, resemble 

 the rabbit to a certain degree in habits, since they often establish their abodes in 

 hollow trunks of trees, or in burrows abandoned by other mammals, while tb? 

 females, which produce from four to six blind and naked young three times a year, 

 scratch shallow holes in the ground, and line them with leaves, grass, and their 

 own fur. When leaving the nest, they cover their young so well that they are 

 completely hidden. The wood-hare does not occur farther north than the State 

 of New York. 



The American " wild cat," or red lynx (Felis rufa), apparently 



represents in the United States the European southern lynx. This 

 lynx is somewhat smaller than its Canadian relative, and has shorter and thinner 

 hair, and a more bushy tail. In many districts it is of a uniform reddish brown, 

 but in Texas and southern California it is represented by the handsomer spotted 

 variety (F. r. maculata), while in Washington and Oregon there is a striped phase 

 (F. r. fasciata) distinguished by dark cross-bars. Numerous other local modifica- 

 tions have been described. Inclusive of these varieties, the range of the red 

 lynx extends into Canada. The species is generally confined to rocky districts, 

 and differs from the Canadian lynx in having three, and sometimes four, instead 

 of only a pair of cubs. 



The range of the largest North American cat, the puma (F. 

 Puma. ° fe ii 



concolor), is perhaps more extensive than that ol any other mammal, 



extending from Alaska to the extreme south of Patagonia, if not to Tierra del 



Fuego. It is true, indeed, that by modern American naturalists the puma (of 



