Fes., 1912. MAMMALS oF ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN — Cory. 267 
Description — General color above pale tawny brown, the hairs tipped 
with black; sides of body paler; nape distinctly tinged with rufous 
brown or rusty brown, quite different from the color of the back; 
rump gray mixed with dusky, caused by the grayish hairs being tip- 
ped with black; upper surface of tail grayish brown, under surface 
white; belly white; under side of neck brownish buff; upper sur- 
face of legs pale rusty brown. Does not turn white in winter. 
Remarks — Nelson states (1. c., p. 174) that S. f. alacer occurs in “‘ex- 
treme southern Illinois,’ but does not include Illinois specimens 
in his list of material examined. All the specimens in the Field 
Museum collection from the most southern counties should un- 
doubtedly be referred to mearnsii. 
Measurements — Total length, about 17.75 in. (451 mm.); tail vertebrae, 
2.30 in. (60 mm.); hind foot, 4 in. (ro1 mm.). 
Field measurements of 6 specimens taken in southern Illinois by 
E. Heller: 
No. Place. Date. Total Length. Tail Vertebra. Hind Foot, 
15403, 9, Olive Branch, Ill... Nov. 26, 1906 465 mm. 65 nate 105 mm. 
15282, o, Golconda, Ill....... Apr. 12, 1907 445 61 g2 
15795, o', Ozark, Ill.......... Apr. 21, 1907 460 “ 71. 95 “ 
15788, o', Golconda, Ill.......Apr. 11, 1907 450 60 o7 
15793, 2, Reevesville, Ill..... Apr. 18, 1907 460 “ 68 96 
15790, co’, Reevesville, Ill..... Apr. 17, 1907 475 “ 60 99 
Average measurements of ro specimens from different localities in 
Wisconsin: 
Total length, 455 mm.; tail vertebree, 61 mm.; hind foot, 103 mm. 
Mearns’s Cotton-tail Rabbit, Cotton-tail or Gray Rabbit as it is 
variously called, is our most common species. In fact it is the only. 
representative of the family which occurs in northern Illinois and 
southern Wisconsin. It is found throughout Illinois and Wisconsin, 
‘possibly excepting the extreme northeastern portion of the latter state, 
but it is not unlikely that its range will be found to include all of the 
northern counties. Specimens have been examined from a large 
number of localities throughout both states, ranging from Alexander 
and Johnson counties in extreme southern Illinois to Douglas and 
Oconto counties in northern Wisconsin. Although still abundant at 
the present time in many localities in the vicinity of Chicago, its 
numbers were evidently much greater thirty years ago. Brayton 
(1882) states: “They were worth in the Chicago market from five to 
fifteen cents apiece, according to the abundance or the state of the 
weather. I have seen them, when frozen in large boxes, sold by the 
cubic foot, and shipped from Chicago to New York City.’’* 
* Geol. Surv. Ohio, IV, Pt. 1, 1882, p. 188. 
