MAMMALS OF UTAH 95 



FamUy LEPORIDAE— Hares, Rabbits 



WYOMING COTTONTAIL 



SYLVILAGUS AUDUBONI BAILEYI (Merriam) 



Lepus balleyi Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XI, p. 148, 

 June 9, 1897. ' 



Description — Color in fresh winter pelage: Upper 

 parts of head and body nearly uniform pale cream buff, 

 slightly darkened by thin overlying wash of black ; sides of 

 head and body a little paler or grayer than back; rump dull 

 iron gray, forming a not strongly contrasted patch ; top of 

 tail like rump ; outside of ears similar to top of head, but 

 slightly darker and edged around tip with black; inside of 

 ears dull grayish white becoming more buffy about borders ; 

 nape light rufous approaching ochraceous buff; front and 

 outside of fore legs ochraceous buff varying in intensity, 

 sometimes approaching dark buff, and shading into dark 

 buff on tops of fore feet ; back and sides of lower hind legs 

 dark buff, sometimes shaded with brownish but rarely 

 showing traces of the dark cinnamon or reddish shades 

 characteristic of warreni; lower borde]? of flanks scarcely 

 more buffy than rest of sides ; underside of neck dark buff, 

 varying to deep pinkish or creamy buff. The young in im- 

 mature pelage are darker and more buffy brownish gray 

 on upper parts than the adults. The postjuvenal pelage 

 is slightly darker and more grizzled gray than the adult, 

 with darker brownish gray ears and more rusty legs. The 

 young are often not very different from those of arizonae 

 and minor. (Nelson.) 



Distribution — Plains and valleys of eastern Montana, 

 most of Wyoming, northeastern Utah, northwestern and 

 eastern Colorado, western parts of North and South Dakota, 

 Nebraska, and as far east as Trego county, Kansas. The 

 Utah specimens are from the Uncompahgre Indian reserva- 

 tion. 



Habits — Throughout its range the plains cottontail is 

 pre-eminently an inhabitant of the semi-arid Upper So- 

 noran plains, where it lives in holes along the steep cut 

 banks of dry arroyos, in the deserted burrows of prairie 

 dogs and often in holes beneath sagebrush, atriples, or 

 prickly pear (opuntia polyacantha) on the open plains. Its 

 flesh is well flavored and tender. (Cary.) 



