2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. ^2 



brought entire to Washington. In it I found, for the first time, re- 

 mains of Ncsophontcs, Brotomys, and Isolohodon in dejecta that 

 appear to be those of the small living barn owl. As usual with this 

 bird the ubiquitous roof rats made up the bulk of the food, as indi- 

 cated by the undigested remains. The Brotomys must have been about 

 the same size as one of these rats, while the Isolohodon, a very young 

 individual, could not have been much larger. The finding of these 

 remains in recent owl pellets, and particularly in pellets from the rain 

 forest region where there is no reason to suppose that disintegration 

 is likely to be very long delayed, as it might be in the' dry parts of the 

 island, is extremely important. It points to the probability that mem- 

 bers of three of the supposedly extinct genera of Hispaniolan mam- 

 mals may, in reality, be still alive. 



(1) TRUJIN COLLECTION 

 NESOPHONTES HYPOMICRUS Miller 



Anterior part of skull, 5 ; palate, i ; right maxilla, 3 ; left maxilla, 5 ; 

 right mandible, 20; left mandible, 20; periotic bones, 30; tympanic 

 rings, 10 ; sternal manubria, 7 ; scapulae, 2 ; humeri, 43 ; ulnae, 2y ; 

 radii, 4; innominates, 21; femora, 52; tibiae, 25; astragali, 35; cal- 

 canea, 42. 



Two of these skulls first called my attention to the fact, afterward 

 verified in many specimens from other localities, that individuals of 

 Nesophontes hypomicrus (pi. 2, figs, i and la) and A'', paramicnis 

 (pi. 2, figs. 2 and 2a) possess upper canine teeth that are either high 

 and strong or low and weak. The conditions in A'', zaniicrus are not 

 yet known. That the weak teeth are not deciduous canines is shown 

 by their presence in old individuals with much worn molars. It seems 

 plain, therefore, that the differences should be attributed to sexual 

 dimorphism and that the individuals with weak canines should be 

 regarded as females, those with strong canines as males. While this 

 conclusion seems necessary it must be admitted that such sexual 

 differences in the size and form of the canine are unusual if not 

 unique among the insectivores. I have been unable to find an approach 

 to it in any of the insectivore genera represented in the National 

 ^luseum collection. 



EPTESICUS HISPANIOL^ Miller 



Skull, nearly perfect, i ; broken rostra, 3 ; fragments of palate, 37 ; 

 mandibles, 89. Also many periotics, finger bones, and loose teeth. 



The preponderance of remains of this species in the food of an 

 owl that had a varied bat fauna to select from is rather remarkable. 



