26 



JACK RABBITS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



largely matters of opinion. Mr. H. P. Attwater states that the jack 

 rabbit on the southeastern coast of Texas is supposed to have only one 

 young at a birth. Dr. J. H. Clark, surgeon of the Mexican Boundary 

 Survey, notes that the species found along the Mexican border brings 

 forth but 2 or 3 young at a time, and these usually late in the summer. 

 The writer, in the 'Kern County Echo,' referred to above, says: "If 

 these rabbits breed every six weeks, as is asserted by many, or at the 

 outside, three times a year, * * * every farmer iu this end of the 

 valley without a rabbit-tight fence will be compelled to surrender his 

 ranch to the pests." 



As very little positive data seems to have been given by most 

 observers, recourse was had to the specimens in the collections of Dr. 

 O. Hart Merriam, the United States Department of Agriculture, and 

 the American Museum of Natural History,' to supplement the few- 

 published notes. Altogether about 50 specimens were available for 

 this purpose, consisting first of 15 adult females with young, which had 

 been examined in the field and a note made of the number of embryos 

 which each contained. These furnish the most accurate data possible 

 concerning the number of young. The other specimens, 30 in number, 

 comprise rabbits less than half grown, and in some cases only a few 

 days old, which may be utilized to show roughly the dates of birth. 

 The data thus collected are shown in the following tables: 



Table nhoivin(/ inimher of Jack Iiahhiln hi n litlrr (based on (lixscction «>/ females with 



yoiitig). 



1 Niim- 



Speciea. \^' 



brj OS. 



Date. 



Locality. 



Leput cal\/orniev» 



Lepvs campettrU 



4 

 4 



Mar. 19. 1894' .Tolon.Cal. 



May S, 1890 liridger l'a«fl, Wyoming. 



Mav .lO. 1894 Forka of Clieveune. South Dakota. 



Lepus melanotis m* . . . 



Leptu Uxianttt 



'Do 



1 ] Dec. 2is, 181M San Antonio, Tex. 

 1 Jan. 2i, 18i"l D.-atli Valley, Cal. 

 6 Mnr.25, 18'Jl Do. 



Do 



6 1 Apr. 16, 1891 Pnnaniint MotintaiuH, Cal. 

 4 May 1, 1891 Salt Wills Valley, Cal. 

 4 May 8.1893 Kayniond, Cal. 



Do 



Do(?) 



Do ( ?) 



3 1 May 9,1893 Do. 



•J May 25.1892 Fori Huaoliuca. Ariz. 



6 June? Fort Whipple, Ariz. (ConeB). 





Do 





3 Julv 9,1890 Blaekl'.K.t. I.liih... 



Do 



3 Julv 31, 1891 2.') miles west "I Hetiton. Cal. 



Do 













* Specimen in American Mnseura of ITatural Hiatory, New York. 



The number of young as shown by these 15 specimens varies from 1 

 to G — never more; in fact it is probable that G is rather exceptional, 

 although found mi three of the cases mentioned above. The average 

 obtained from the table is between 3 and 4 (3.5), but this result is prob- 

 ably not accurate. It will be noticed that all the cases of 3 young or 



> Through the kindness of Dr. J. A. Allen, onrator of mammals in the American 



Museum of Natural History, New York, I have had an opportunity of pxaniining the 

 jack rabbits iu that collection. 



