KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 48. N:0 5. 



Ill 



Hares were seen many times in the neighbourhood of Nairobi, at Juja farm, 

 Blue Post, Kutu etc. but, as observed above, when specimens were not shot it is 

 difficult to say to which species a running Hare belonged, although the difference in 

 colour is considerable. 



Tn addition to the difference of the pelage between these two Hares, the cha- 

 racteristics of the upper incisors pointed out by de Winton are very useful for 

 distinguishing the two species. The combined breadth of the incisors at the cutting 

 edge of L. crawshayi is only 5 mm. but in L. victorice the same dimension is fully 

 6 mm. In the former the grooves are quite filled up with cement so that the sur- 

 face of the teeth looks flat. The cheek-teeth of L. crawshayi as well are smaller 

 the length of the whole series m.easured at the worn surface of the crowns being 

 about 12,2 mm. whereas the same dimension in L. victorice is 13,2 — 13,3 mm. 



Lepus somalensis Heuglin. 



Heuglin: Nov. Act. Acad. Leop. Car. Nat. Cur. 1861, Bd 82, p. 5. 



The first locality where I made aquaintance with the long-eared Somali-Hare 

 was in some dry thornbush-patches on the acacia steppe around Lekiundu river. 

 When the expedition had crossed Guaso Nyiri to its northern side this Hare was 

 found to be common in the thornbxish which occupied the whole country there. 

 They usually sat under acacia bushes and could often be seen at some distance, 

 especially if they had raised their long ears. They were not shy, but did not sit so 

 close as for instance L. victorice and L. crawshayi. On the other hand they did not 

 dev^elop such a speed as the two latter species. Sometimes a Lepus somalensis only 

 comparatively slowly went away a little bit, if not too much scared. 



The sexes appear to be of similar size. Out of my series of ten specimens the 

 upper length of the skull, from occiput to tip of nasals, is 87 mm. in one male, 86,5 

 mm. in two females but 86 mm. in two other old males and an old female. The 

 .others are somewhat younger and therefore smaller, but the variation in size of adult 

 specimens does not appear to be great. 



Other measurements of a male and a female skull are as follows: 



Condyloincisive length 



Zygomatic breadth 



Oblique length of nasals 



Breadth of brainease 



Diastema 



Length of palate to inside of incisors .... 



» » palatal foramina 



» » molar series basally 



Combined breadth of incisors at cutting edge 



