LEPORID^ 187 



west of the Sierra Nevada, except the San Joaquin VaUey, to 

 southwestern Otregon. Common in the valleys and foothills of 

 western California, occasionally ranging to the highest valleys of 

 the coast mountains. They are not as gregarious as the Desert 

 Hares, and are found less frequently in the open plains, preferingf 

 the edges of the plains and the little valleys in the foothills. In 

 habits, food and gait they are similar to the Desert Hares. The 

 breeding season is winter and spring. One New Years Day I shot 

 a female California Hare that would have given birth to two 

 young in about a fortnight. The number in a litter is two to four, 

 and probably two litters a year are the usual number. 



Lepus richardsoni Bachman. (For Sir John Richard- 

 son.) 



RICHARDSON HARE. 



Similar to calif ornicus but smaller and much paler; above 

 buffy gray. 



Type locality, probably the Salinas Valley, Monterey County, 

 California. 



The Richardson Hare seems to be a pale species whose range 

 is the Salinas Valley and the dry warm region eastward, border- 

 ing the San Joaquin Valley and extending north in the foothills 

 of the Sierra Nevada to about Mariposa County. Its range over- 

 laps that of the California Hare in the western part of the Salinas 

 Valley. 



Lepus texianus deserticola Mearns. (Desert — dweller.) 



DESERT HARE. 



Above grizzled brownish gray ; ears grayish brown on the front 

 surface, fringed with grayish white or buffy white, tipped with 

 black, remainder gray; hair on ears very short, sides of body, 

 front side of fore legs and back side of hind legs pale gray, more 

 or less tinged with buff or drab ; belly whitish ; upper surface of 



