LEPUS 531 



1. Thornhill, Dumfriesshire. H. S. Gladstone 7.8.7.1. 



(o&f). 



2. New Galloway, Kireud- Col. Gordon Maitland 95. 10. 6. 1-2. 



brightshire. (c & p). 



£, 3 ?. Clonas. W. E. Ogilvie-Grant 99. 2. 17. 1-4. 



LEPUS HIBERNICUS Bell. 



1833. Irish Hare Yarrell, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, p. 88. No technical 



name. 

 1837. Lepus Mbernicus Bell, History of Brit. Quadrupeds, p. 341. 

 1857. [Lepus variabilis] a. Form der warmeren Klimate, Blasius, Sauge- 



thiere Deutschlands, p. 424 (part). 

 1900. Lepus timidus Mbernicus Barrett-Hamilton, Proc. Zool. Soc, 



London, p. 89. 

 1900. Lepus timidus lutescens Barrett-Hamilton, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 



p. 89 (Donobate, Co. Dublin, Ireland). Type in British Museum. 

 1906. L[epus] t[imidus] Mbernicus Hilzheimer, Zool. Anzeiger, xxx, p. 510, 



August 14, 1906. 

 1910. Lepus timidus Mbernicus and L. timidus lutescens Trouessart, Faune 



Mamm. d'Europe, p. 216. 



Type locality. — Ireland. 



Geographical distribution. — Ireland, chiefly in the more hilly 

 districts. Now introduced and established in portions of Wales 

 and Scotland (Carnarvonshire and the island of Mull). 



Diagnosis, — Differing from the other European members of 

 the Lepus timidus group in its strongly russet colour and in the 

 partial or complete absence of the white winter coat. Size 

 noticeably greater than in its nearest geographical ally, 

 L. timidus scoticus. 



Colour. — General colour of upper parts a finely and incon- 

 spicuously grizzled russet brown, approaching the russet and 

 wood-brown of Ridgway, brighter and more reddish on shoulders 

 and back, paler, though strongly russet, on crown and face, 

 duller and fading to ochraceous-buff on cheeks, sides, and outer 

 surface of legs ; nape and back of neck to between shoulders 

 scarcely grizzled, the nape usually with a suffusion of drab. The 

 colours on the back are arranged as follows : underfur (15 mm.) 

 light pearl-grey (about grey No. 10 of Ridgway) at base, the 

 terminal half of the hairs abruptly light russet ; longer hairs 

 {25 mm.) light pearl-grey at extreme base, becoming black at 

 level of russet portion of shorter hairs, each with a dull buff sub- 

 terminal annulation about 4 mm. long and a rather shorter black 

 tip ; a few still longer hairs (35 mm.) entirely black except the 

 grey base. Rump usually with an evident greyish cast, this 

 often rather conspicuous in winter specimens, the black tips to 

 the hairs occasionally producing a markedly clouded effect. Tail 

 white, usually with a bluish tinge, the upper surface sprinkled 

 to a varying degree with blackish or brownish hairs, these 

 occasionally producing a decided grizzled effect, and never 



2 m 2 



