336 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
summits of East Kill, Plateau and Hunter mountains, descending at 
times along belts of coniferous trees nearly to Schoharie creek. In the 
lowest country it is said to be almost wholly replaced by the cottontail ” 
(’98b, p. 346). 
I have found the southern varying hare locally common at Peterboro, 
Madison co. and abundant at Elizabethtown, Essex co. Of the 
occurence of this species near Buffalo, Mr Savage writes: ‘‘ The varying 
hare is becoming rare or local. On December 8, 1897 I saw four on 
R. & P. r. r. train that were shot at West Valley, Cattaraugus co. 
Also heard of their being taken near Java, Wyoming co. in the autumn 
of 1897. On January 29, 1898, one was shot near Cherry creek, 
Chautauqua co. 
Remarks. The northern varying hare Lepus americanus americanus 
Erxleben was formely supposed to occur in New York (see Merriam, 
84d, p. 207) but Bangs has recently shown that the southern boundary 
of its range does not reach the northern edge of the United States 
(’98, p. 78). 
Felis-eregorrensistippotestes-terrram) §9 WVortheastern panther 
1842 Felis concolor De Kay, Zoology of New York, Mammalia. p. 47. 
1882 Felis concolor Merriam, Linn. soc. New York. Trans. p. 1: 29. 
1897 Felis hippolestes Merriam, Biolog. soc. W acute Pro&. 11 : 249. 
\ Xs July) EO \ x \ 
1899 Eelis\ ore Sonensts hixpolestes x Stone, erence \N. Se NO -35eN 
6 Jan. 1800. 
Type locality. Wead-River-mountains;-W-yomire. 
Faunal position. The northeastern panther was formerly an inhabitant 
of the Canadian, transition and upper austral zones. It is now exter- 
minated in all but the first named. 
Habitat, Forests. 
Distribution in New York, his animal still exists in the wilder por- 
tions of the Adirondacks. Elsewhere it is extinct within the limits of the 
state. 
Principal records. DeKay: “In this state the panther is most nu- 
merous in the rocky northern districts and particularly in the counties of 
Herkimer, Hamilton and St Lawrence. They are occasionally seen 
among the Kaaterskill mountains, and the specimen in the New York 
museum . .. was obtained from this locality” (’42, p. 48). Merriam : 
‘Tt is not many years since the cougar or panther, second largest of 
American Felide, was a common inhabitant of the primeval forests of 
the Adirondacks; but since the state offered a bounty [in 1871] for their 
destruction so many more have been killed than born that they are now 
