40 MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON THE BLACK-FOOTED RABBIT. [Jan. 22, 



1855, which had recently been received from Mr. Andersson, and 

 collected at Lake Ngania. 



MOLOSSUS LIMBATUS, PctcrS. 



Di/sopis limbatus, Peters, Reise n. Mossani. Saugeth. 56. t. 14. 



With the above-mentioned specimens of Miniojiteris were two of a 

 species of Molossus, differing only from the figure and description 

 given by Prof. Peters of his D. limbatus in the colour of the fur, 

 which was without a trace of the large white abdominal mark so con- 

 spicuous in his figure. However, as the dimensions appear to ac- 

 cord pretty accurately, as well as the size and conformation of the 

 cranium and the number and proportion of its teeth, I do not attach 

 much importance to the variation in the colour of the fur, the dif- 

 ference in which may perhaps be attributed to age, sex, or even to 

 season. 



2. Additional Note on the Black-footed Rabbit. 

 By a. D. Bartlett. 



(Plate IV.) 



On the 23rd of June 1857, at the evening meeting of this Society, 

 I called the attention of the meeting to some Rabbits, known as the 

 Himalayan Rabbits, and proposed provisionally to call the species 

 Lepus nigripes*. 



Soon after my paper was published, I received a letter from a gen- 

 tleman at St. Ives, informing me that this kind of rabbit could be 

 produced by crossing the dark ivild silver-grey rabbit with a breed 

 known as the Chinchilla or light silver-grey. This at the time ap- 

 peared to me strange and unlikely ; nevertheless I determined to 

 make the trial ; and having during the last two or three years pro- 

 duced by these means a large number and fully established the fact, 

 I beg leave to bring them before your notice. 



I have here a light silver-grey male, a dark silver-grey female, and 

 two young of a litter oijive, — two of the number being of the Hima- 

 layan variety, the other three silver-greys ; I have many other ex- 

 amples of the same thing. 



Now, if the white or Himalayan varieties are removed and kept 

 together, the result will be all Himalayan, thus showing a tendency 

 to increase this variety at the expense of the silver-greys, because, 

 although you may remove and destroy all the white specimens, still 

 the silver-greys from which they originated will continue to produce 

 white young ones, while, on the other hand, the white variety never 

 produces silver-greys. 



I mentioned in my former paper that large numbers of the skins 

 of the white variety were imported to Europe annually, and these are 

 probably bred in Asia. I now beg leave also to mention that for 

 many years a large trade has been carried on by two or three mer- 



* P. Z. S. 1857, p. 159. 



