ORDER RODENTIA. 221 



of the cold, a fact, which confirms the statement of Pallas 

 as to their great internal heat. The female brings forth 

 sometimes as many as eight at a time. 

 - In the deserts of southern Russia, toward the fiftieth 

 degree of northern latitude, where the Variable Hare ceases 

 to be common, there is said by Pallas to be a numerous 

 race, to which he applies the name Lepus Hybridus, and 

 which he suspects to be the issue of the common and 

 variable species, and to be steril. Notwithstanding, how- 

 ever, the high respectability of the authority, we may 

 reasonably doubt the fact, in the absence of repeated ob- 

 servation. There seems, however, every reason to conclude 

 either that varieties of these two acknowledged species 

 occasionally approach each other, or that there are distinct 

 races intermediate between the two. 



We shall add nothing here to the descriptions of the other 

 species of this genus, except the Tapeti, or Brazilian Hare. 

 This is the smallest of the known species: it was mentioned 

 by Marcgrave, and the earliest writers on the American 

 quadrupeds ; but not being sufficiently described, it became 

 almost forgotten, or was treated merely as a variety of the 

 Common Hare. Marcgrave stated that the animal was 

 without a tail, but the figure which accompanied his de- 

 scription represented one ; bis text, however, prevailed, 

 and Linnaeus, Erxleben, and Brisson treated the presence of 

 the tail in the figure as an error, and named the animal 

 Lepus Ecaudatus. Johnson and Gessner referred it to the 

 Guinea-pig ; and subsequent zoologists have treated it as a 

 variety of the common American species ; but D'Azara has 

 more recently described and established it. 



The general form of the body is that of the Hare or Rab- 

 bit. From the tip of the nose to the insertion of the tail 

 it measures about eighteen inches, and the tail itself with 

 the hair upon it, which makes it round, does not exceed ten 

 lines. The fur is varied brown-black, and yellowish above, 



Vol. II r. It 



