196 Order PERISSODACTYLA 



Length measurements: head and body 18-1 81/ inches (455- 

 468 mm.) ; tail 2\/ 2 -2-)i inches (65-72 mm.) ; over-all 20. _-2U/ A 

 inches (520-540 mm.); hind foot about 4^4 inches (105-112 

 mm.); ear from notch about 2'/> inches dry (63-68 mm.). 

 Weight: 3-5 j/2 pounds. 



The skull, about 85 mm. (3H inches) long, has a minute hole 

 between the postorbital process and frontal bone on each side, 

 fig. \03d. Dental formula: I 2/1, C 0/0, Pm 3/2. M 3/3. 



Life History. — In southern Illinois the swamp rabbit lives in 

 cane thickets or dense woods and brush bordering swamps. It 

 is never far from water, and, being a good swimmer, does not 

 hesitate to take to water. It swims with little more than the 

 top of its head exposed and with its ears straight back, fig. 3. 

 The denseness of the thickets in which it lives and its ability 

 to swim are valuable protective features. 



This rabbit feeds on a variety of green herbs, bark, and 

 leaves; its fondness for giant cane is indicated by one of its 

 popular names, "cane-cutter." Its nest resembles that of the 

 cottontail, but it is larger and frequently is in thickets with 

 stalks pulled down to form a protective covering. The young 

 are produced between March and November, usually four at a 

 time; a female may have more than one litter in a year. At 

 birth, the young have very short fur and are blind. 



Signs. — Footprints of the swamp rabbit are similar to but 

 usually larger than those ot the cottontail (print of hind foot 

 3-4 1^ inches). Droppings are like those of the cottontail but 

 are deposited on logs or mounds near water, fig. 3. 



Distribution. — The swamp rabbit occurs in the southern 

 third of Illinois. The subspecies in this state is Sylvilagus aquat- 

 ions aquaticus (Bachman). The range of the species extends 

 from northwestern South Carolina to eastern Texas and in- 

 cludes two narrow northward projections, one into southern 

 Illinois and southwestern Indiana and the other into southeast- 

 ern Kansas, fig. 105. 



ORDER PERISSODACTYLA 



Odd-Toed Hoofed Mammals 



Members of the order Perissodactyla have on each foot an odd 

 number of hoofed toes; the middle (third) toe is distinctly 

 larger than the others and forms the principal support of the 



