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40 



MDNOaitAl'US OF NOUTU AMERICAN KODENTIA. 



, fi 



tlio siuiu', and with nearly tin; same limits of variation that were found in tlio 

 Carolina series (4.40 to 6.00), though none drop to 4.00. The same may be 

 said of the cars, fore t'cci, head, nose to ear, and nose to eye. The case is 

 dilfereut respecting tiie tail and hind feet, in which we get some new figures 

 reipiiring attention, as the dimensions of these parts have entered into the 

 specific (lingnoses. ' 



For all the United States .specimens, except three (Nos. 8820, 666, and 

 S), both the absolute and relative length of 'the tail is almost exactly as in 

 Carolina skins; if anytiiing, tiie tail is rather shorter than longer. In none 

 of the United States specii'iens do the feet differ appreciai)ly from the Carolina 

 figures. In No. 8, the tail first touches 4 inches ; the tail of 8820 is u little 

 longer (4.30); that of 5GG (type r)f "l)erlandieri") is still longer (4.60). But 

 not one of these even equals, not to mention excce(ling, the head and body, as 

 alleged for "berlandieri". In .several Mexican skins, similarly, the tail sur- 

 passes 4.00 (Nos. 9385, 9508, 9.J09, 9510); and in two of these (9509, 9510) 

 it actually equals the truidi. These are the oidy instances of this occurrence 

 in the whole series; and tiiat they fall in the category of individual variations 

 is proven by the following considerations : — First, these specimens are associ- 

 ated with otiuMs (Nos. 9534, 6995, 6996. 7210) positively identical in every 

 respect, and in which the tails bear the ordinary positive and relative length 

 of Carolina skins ; secondly, the Texan and Mexican skins diflfer more inter 

 se in length of tail than they do from the Carolina ones ; tiiirdly, we can 

 form from our two tables the following graduated series of tails' lengths: 

 2.2.5, 2.40, 2.50, 2.70, 2.75, 3.00, 3.10, 3.20, 3.30, 3.40, 3.50, 3.G0, 3.70, 3.75, 

 3.90, 4.00, 4.30, 4.40, 4.60, 4.70, 5.00, 5.25 ! Wiiere shall we make a break 

 in this chain to establish specific difference upon length of tail 1 It is hard 

 to admit a variation of two inches in the tail of an animal the tail of which only 

 averages three inches long; but we do not see how to get around the figures. 



We found the feet of Carolina specimens to range from 1.00 to 1.30. 

 Among the Southwestern United States and Mexican examples, we have a 

 slight widening of the limits— from 0.97 to 1.37 and 1.40. The foot of 4927 

 is indeed enormous, 0.10 longer than the maximum Carolina foot, and heavy 

 in proportion ; while that of 9384 is hardly less. But No. 9385 (a specimen 

 that might have been twin-brother to 9384, the two are so absolutely alike in 

 other respects) innnediatcly sinks the figure to 1.30, which is at the Carolina 

 extreme; and No. 4927 bis (taken along with 4927) has the foot within ordiiuiry 



