8ACCOMYID.D— PEROGNATHIDIN^— p. FASCIATUS. 



503 



The tail is completely hut rather thinly haired, and, especially toward 

 the end, the iiairs stand apart and are somewhat lengthened (as is usual in 

 the genus) ; still they do not develop into the decided comb or crest, or tuft 

 nt the end, which is characteristic of P. penicillatus. 



The pelage of this species is coarse, iiarsh, and stiffish (as in other 

 species of typical Perognathus), but not to a degree whicii could bear the term 

 "spiny", or even "bristly"; it has been likened to fine-spun glass, though 

 such expression might be considered strong, unless excessively delicate glass 

 is meant. The fur has considerable gloss ; tliere is no under fur whatever. 

 The character seems to me to be much as in the Murine Sigmodon hispjAus, 

 and in fact the specimens before me have considerable superficial resemblance 

 to the young of that species A likeness to Zapus kudsonius is perhaps even 

 stronger. The color of the upper parts is a light sandy-yellowisii, closely 

 lined throughout with blackish, producing a fine grizzle. The greater part 

 of tile length of the individual hairs is the color of barely-tarnished cut lead ; 

 it is rather light, and unlike the heavier plumbeous of most Rodents. This 

 is succeeded by the sandy ends of the hairs ; a part of them are of this last 

 color to the very end, while others have the tips blackish, producing the 

 grizzle above mentioned. The line of demarcation of this color begins on 

 the side of the nose, and runs straight over the shoulder and sides of the 

 body, descending the hind limb to the heel. To this succeeds a strip of rich 

 reddish-yellow or salmon-color, beginning on the cheeks and following the 

 line already indicated to the heels, but also descending a little way on the 

 fore leg. This color is pure, the hairs being so colored to the roots, there 

 being no plumbeous basal portions and no blackened tips. The whole under 

 surface, together with the feet, most of the fore leg, and the inner aspect of 

 the hind leg, is white, and on these white areas the hairs are of this color to 

 the roots. The line of demarcation with the fawn-color is pretty sharp, but 

 less so in some cases than in others, sometimes the whole belly showing a 

 tawny shade. The tail is bicolor; a brown or dusky stripe runs the whole 

 length of the upper surface ; the sides and under surface being white or 

 tinged with rusty — the latter particularly when the white of the belly is simi- 

 larly tinged. Besides these s-^'^cial markings, there is decided indication of 

 a dusky stripe from the nose u.nder the eye and ear to the side of the neck, 

 produced by increase of the bluckenod tips of the hairs along the line. Some 

 of the whiskers are black, others being colorless. The poucho-s are whitt? 

 inside. The claws are colorless. 



