New Species of Aplodontia. 3'iL 



In 1854 Audubon and Bach man, writing of the Washington 

 Show'tl, remarked that it "has also been procured in Califor- 

 nia,'** but on what authority this statement was based does not 

 appear. Three years later Baird said: "I have heard of an 

 Aplodontia from California, probably the same species, but have 

 not seen a specimen. "f 



The Proceedings of the California Academy of Natural Sciences 

 for 18G0 (Vol. Ill, p. 224) contains a record of the donation to 

 the Society's cabinet of a "Specimen of Aplodontia leporina, 

 shot near lake Tahoe, by Mr. J. M. M' Donald." This specimen 

 was presented at the regular meeting held September 18, 1865. 

 No farther details are given, and since Lake Tahoe occupies por- 

 tions both of California and Nevada, it is uncertain from which 

 State the animal came. The probabilities are, however, that it 

 was killed in Placer County, California, this being the region 

 from which my specimens were procured. J 



The specimen previously mentioned as having been sent to the 

 Berlin Museum, was described by the late Dr. W. Peters in the 

 Monatsberichte der Konigl. Preuss. Akademie der Wissen- 

 chaften zu Berlin, 17 Marz, 1864, pp. 177-179. His de- 



* Quadrupeds of North America, Vol. Ill, 1854. p. 102. 



f North American Mammals, 1857, p. 354. 



X In the first volume of the above-mentioned Proceedings, under the head 

 of donations made to the Cabinet at the meeting held September 24, 1855, 

 occurs the following paragraph : "From Mr. E. C. Gibbes, an animal from 

 the vicinity of the 'Great Trees,' Calaveras County. It is a species of 

 Marmot, perhaps undescribed, but the specimen is too imperfect for a close 

 comparison. Better specimens will probably soon reach us, as the species 

 is quite common in that portion of the State. The miners call it Mammoth 

 Mole." (Proc. Cal. Acad. Natural Sciences, Vol. 1, 1854-57, p. 71 of the 

 original ed. ; p. 76 of reprint.) 



Concerning the above specimen, the venerable Dr. J. G. Cooper has writ- 

 ten me, under date of February 7, 1886 : " I was present and saw this skin, 

 and compared it soon after with that of the Aplodontia [from Astoria] pre- 

 sented Oct. 15th [by Lt. W. P. Trowbridge]. All thought it the same ani- 

 mal, though some differences noticed might prove it to be the Marmot 

 [Ardomys Jlavivenler] well known from higher elevations. I will see if the 

 specimen still exists." 



