636 DR. H. BURMEISTER ON A NEW DOLICHoTIS. __[ Dec. 7, 
long ; and two or three of the same kind, but somewhat shorter, stand 
over the eyes near the anterior angle. These organs are large, sur- 
rounded by narrow black naked margins, the upper margin furnished 
with a series of black bristles half an inch long, extending obliquely 
over the eye. The ears are placed | inch behind the eyes; and in 
front of each is a large naked blackish space descending to the neck. 
The external ear is 2 inches long, very broad at the base, deeply 
emarginate behind, and somewhat pointed above the emargination. 
The middle of the inside of the ear is bare; but the whole margin and 
the outside are covered with short hair; black on the outside and 
white within, the margins fringed with black hair which is long and 
dense on the upper part of the circumference. , 
The whole body of the animal is clothed with fine but simple hair, 
except the pads, already mentioned, and the tail-wart. The hair is 
generally one inch in length, becoming somewhat longer on the under- 
side and gradually shorter on the legs, and very short on the feet 
and toes. 
The colour of the animal is like that of the Wild Rabbit, but 
somewhat more red-brown on the upper parts of the body, especially 
behind. The hair is whitish grey at the base, ringed with black in the 
middle, then of a clear yellow or reddish yellow, which is succeeded 
by a smaller black ring near the tips. The tips of the hairs are 
abruptly thinner than in the middle, and black. The whole under- 
side from the breast between the fore legs to the anus, the inside of 
the legs, and the rump are white; the lips, throat, two small spots 
before and behind the eye, and a somewhat larger spot behind the 
ear are also white ; but the side of the head and the underside of the 
neck are clear reddish brown, especially the under portion of the 
cheeks between the lips and the ears. The iris is clear brown ; and 
the claws are black. 
The female has two teats in the inguinal region near the inside of 
the femur ; and she seems generally to give birth to two young at a 
time, if she does not lose one, which, as is the ease with the Patago- 
nian species, seems to beverycommon. Three individuals are there- 
fore often found together, as the two sexes live in company and are 
accompanied by their young as long as it is dependent upon them. 
Families of more than three are not seen; and the species is never 
found in bands as the Vizcacha. 
The animal is very active, escaping with great rapidity under the 
the small bushes of aculeate leguminous plants which are common 
in that part of the country, and hiding in the thickest of the bushes, 
where it seems to have its burrows. This species avoids open grounds, 
like the Patagonian Cavy. 
Of the internal parts I know only the skull, which is entirely of 
the same form as that of Dolichotis patachonica, but much smaller, 
scarcely half the size. The skull has the same broad front, with the 
large superciliary margins and all the other peculiarities mentioned by 
Mr. Waterhouse (Nat. Hist. of Mam. vol. ii. p. 156). The teeth 
are the same; each of the four molars has two triangular lobes, 
except the smallest of the upper jaw; the first of the under jaw fur- 
