MAMMALIA. 277 



In the skull of Lepus saxatilis the lower jaw is higher 

 in proportion to the length, the zygomatic arch much 

 longer, and the whole skull larger and more powerful. 



Lepus tigrensis is a larger and heavier animal than 

 L. cegyptius, L. habessinicus, L. sinaiticus, Sec, the limbs 

 being nearly twice as large, and the whole build of 

 the animal more massive. It is an interesting circum- 

 stance to find that the common Hare of the Abyssinian 

 highlands approaches more nearly to a South African 

 type than to any of those existing in the surrounding 

 countries, and this affinity is ia accordance with the 

 relations of the avi-fauna. 



It is not at all surprising that both this Hare and 

 Lepus cegyptius from the coast should have been con- 

 founded with Hemprich and Ehrenberg's L. hahessmicus. 

 In few genera are the specific distinctions more difficult 

 to describe than amongst the Hares ; and I should not 

 have been satisfied that Lepus tigrensis is new, had I 

 not examined Hemprich and Ehrenberg's type. I still 

 cannot help suspecting that there is some error in the 

 locality assigned to the type in question, said to come 

 from near Massowa, or that its remarkably short ears are 

 an individual peculiarity : still, if it be a monstrosity, 

 it certainly belongs to the Lepus cegyptius, or a closely 

 allied "species, and not to the race inhabiting the Abys- 

 sinian highlands. It is rather remarkable that the 

 latter should have been so long overlooked. 



Lepus tigrensis abounds around .Senaf^ Takonda, 

 Adigrat, Adabagi, and Antalo. I did not notice it in 

 the hill country of Lasta. Its habits are precisely 



