3 6 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XX, 



of braincase, 25; length of nasals, 25; width of nasals, posteriorly, 

 13.5; length of palatal bridge, 5.2 (with spines, 8.5) ; length of malar, 

 28; upper toothrow (crown surface), 10; palatal foramina, 14.5, by 

 5.2 at point of greatest width; length of lower jaw, 43; height at 

 angle, 25.5. 



Skull rather broad, upper contour strongly arched posteriorly; 

 bullas very large for the size of the skull, much larger than in L. azte- 

 CMS, although the general size of the skull is nearly one half less. 



A second specimen is similar, but paler throughout, including the 

 nape patch, feet, and ground color of the upper parts; it is also slightly 

 smaller and somewhat younger, though adult. 



In general size L. paruulus is similar to L. bachmani and L. 

 cinerascens, but it differs too widely from them in cranial 

 characters to need further comparison. In skull structure it 

 seems to be a diminutive member of the Sylvilagus group, 

 from all other forms of which its small size will distinguish it. 



15. Conepatus (Marputius) tropicalis Merriam. Two speci- 

 mens, April 6. 



1 6. Tayra barbara senex (Thomas}. One specimen, adult 

 female, March 18. Total length, 1000; tail vertebrae, 375; 

 hind foot, 115. 



In attempting, in this connection, to determine the various 

 South American examples of Tayras in the Museum collection 

 it has been found that the series from Santa Marta, Colombia, 

 represents a well-marked, undescribed form, which may be 

 characterized as follows: 



Tayra barbara irara, 1 subsp. nov. 



Type, No. 15469, $ ad., Bonda, Santa Marta District, Colombia, 

 June 6, 1899; Herbert H. Smith Collection. 



Top and sides of head and neck grayish brown ; throat and f oreneck 

 dark brown, with a small pale yellowish spot on lower neck; whole 

 body and limbs very dark brown, darker or nearly black along the 

 middle of the back, forming an indistinct dorsal band, continued on 

 the tail ; tail rather darker than the body, brownish black, becoming 

 nearly black apically. The yellow throat patch varies, in different 

 individuals, in color from cream to ochraceous, and in size from a small 

 oblong spot less than 20 mm. long and about 6 mm. wide to a large 



1 Irara, the native local name. 



