350 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 21 



It is worthy of remark, however, that, although skins seem indis- 

 tingnishable, skulls from the Colorado and Mohave deserts as com- 

 pared with skulls from the higher parts of central Arizona are more 

 rounded — an obvious tendency in the former toward californicus, 

 which is quite to be expected. 



Toward the north, along the east base of the Sierra Nevada in 

 Owens Valley, the wildcats are seemingly larger and show denser, 

 longer, and softer pelage than on the Colorado Desert, and the general 

 tone of coloration is more ashy — which is to be interpreted as at least 

 a strong tendency toward pallescens. Skulls from that region, how- 

 ever, fall definitely with haileyi rather than with pallescens. 



Lynx ruffus pallescens Merriam 

 Pallid Wildcat 



Ly7ix rufus, Newberry (1857, p. 36), part.' 



Ly7ix fasciatus pallescens Merriam (1899, p. 104) [orig. descr.] ; and of 

 other authors. 



Felis rufa pallescens, Elliot (1901, p. 297); and of the same author else- 

 where. 



Diagnosis. — A race of wildcat characterized by average large size, 

 abundant and exceedingly soft pelage, very pale (frosted or ashy) 

 general tone of coloration, and restricted dark markings; skull 

 markedly long, as compared with its width, and heavily ridged. 



Measurements.- — See accompanying tables. 



Distribution.— "Ylcii^i race inhabits the Great Basin. Its range 

 extends from northeastern California (in Lassen, Modoc, and eastern 

 Siskiyou counties) east across northern Nevada and northern Utah to 

 Colorado ; also north through eastern Oregon and eastern Washington, 

 and thence east through Idaho into AVyoraing and perhaps farther. 



Specimens, skins-with-skuUs, or skulls only, are in the Museum of 

 Vertebrate Zoology from California as follows: Modoc County: Straw, 

 1 ; Sugar Hill, 1 ; Alturas, 2 ; Fort Bidwell, 2 ; near Lake City, 1 ; Jess 

 Valley, 1. Lassen County : Karlo, 3 ; Horse Lake Valley, 1 ; Plumas 

 Junction, 5. Total, 17 specimens. 



Comments. — Of the wildcats in California and perhaps in all of 

 North America, this is the one with the fullest, softest pelage. Because 

 of these features, in connection also with the general large size, 

 extreme individuals are not infrequently reported, or even sold in the 

 fur market, as "Canada lynx." The character of large size is well 

 shown by the skull (see pi. 11a). 



Some of our skulls from the IVIodoc region are as far as we can see 

 identical in every critical respect with near-topotypes of Lynx uinta 

 Merriam (1902, p. 71) from Wyoming. Skins, too, show no appre- 

 ciable dififerences. This agrees well with "geographical reasoning" 



