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198 



MONOGRAPHS OF NORTH AMERICAN RODENTIA. 



The soles nre over an inch long, and thoroughly furry a? far as the posterior 

 tubercle; naked in the rest of their length. There are six conspicuous 

 tubercles, as usual in this section : a posterior one at base of hallux ; two 

 at base of outer toe ; one at base of second toe ; and one at bases of third 

 and fourth Iocs. The fore feet are comparatively small, being obviously less 

 than iiaif the hind (measured from the posterior tubercle). There are five 

 palmar tubercles: one representing the "ball" of the rudimentary thumb, 

 which bears a minute abortive nail; another just beside and external to the 

 first; one at the base of each lateral finger; and one at the bases of the two 

 central fingers. The relative proportions of all the ten digits is as usual in 

 this section. The ears are moderate for the size of the animal, measuring 

 a little over half an inch high and wide; they overtop the fur a little, are well 

 furred both sides, rounded in shape, and with a highly-developed antitragus 

 fully occluding the meatus. The fur, much as in other Arctic Arvicola, is 

 longer, tiiicker, and softer than that of United States species; and, although 

 tiie reverse of harsh, has very little lustre, apparently owing to the less 

 admixture of the long, glossy, bristle-like hairs that occur so abundantly in 

 southern samples, especially of maritime or very wet places. The longest 

 whiskers about equal the head; others are much shorter. 



In color, this animal represents one of the few species, that may usually 

 be known at a glance, and the only one of ours that has bright tints in 

 sharply restricted areas. The cheeks are bright chestnut * in marked contrast 

 with surrounding shades. The extreme niuzale is blackish, and thence to 

 over the eyes a dusky shade prevails. In some specimens, there is a small 

 rusty or yellowish-brown orbital space, and there is generally a perceptible 

 shade of the same on the auricular region, though we have never appreciated 

 so much of this as Audubon's smaller figure shows. The upper parts are of 

 an intimate mixture or "grizzle" of yellowish-brown, gray, and black, some- 

 what darkest along the middle line of the back, and brightest on the haunches, 

 but not noticeably fiir from uniform all over. The resulting shade is generally 

 lighter or more yellowish-brownish-gray than in southern species, owing to 

 smaller proportion of long dark hairs. The tail is bicolor, but not very 

 sharply so — more so in some specimens than in others; the feet are fuscous. 



*Tliu name "xautboKuatba", " yellow "-vbecketl, aud the de8ori|itlou8 of authors, as "yellow", 

 " orangti brown ", " fulvona", &o., do not correctly indicate the color aa it appears to oar eyee. We can 

 Hce uotbiuf! but a bright bay or chestnut, and the shade scarcely varies appreciably in any ot the speci- 

 mens ezamiued in which it is evident at all. 



