46 JACK RABBITS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



rabbits were fouud iu large numbers in Ash Meadows, Nevada, pre- 

 vious to 1891, but iu the spring of that year they were very rare. He 

 attributed the decrease to the prevalence of an epidemic, which had 

 been so severe as to render these animals almost extinct. In north- 

 eastern California Mr. A. C. Lowell, of Fort Bidwell, Modoc County, 

 mentions seeing many dead rabbits iu the autumn of 1893. 



A similar occurrence is reported by Mr. F. Stephens, near Beck- 

 worth Pass, Plumas County. Speaking of a trip through northeastern 

 California in August, 1894, he says: ''The epidemic among hares was 

 widespread through all the region I passed over north of Beckworth 

 Pass, being perhaps most noticeable in the Madeline Plain on the South 

 Fork of Pitt Kiver and near the Nevada line south of Surprise Valley. 

 In all these places I saw daily dozens of carcasses near the road. The 

 only cause of death that I could see was tbe abundant warbles [Cittere- 

 bra) present in nearly all. It would seem, though, that these could 

 only operate by lowering the state of health generally and that some 

 contagious disease was present.'' 



Dr. J. A. Allen' speaks of an outbreak that occurred in the vicinity 

 of Great Salt Lake in 1870-71, destroying large numbers of Lepus 

 texianus and L. campesiriH; and Prol". Marcus E. Jones states that 

 another occurred in Utah in 1885 or 1886. A similar instance of the 

 destruction of the Prairie Hare {Lepm eampestris) has been mentioned 

 by Mr. Gibbs and Dr. Cooper, which occurred in Washington north of 

 tbe Columbia Kiver about 1853.' Mr. Clark P. Streator, while at Pasco, 

 Wash., near the moutli of Snake Ifiver, learned that another epidemic 

 had occurred among the rabbits in the vicinity during the summer of 

 1890. Maj. Chas. Bemlire states that the inhabitants of the l»ayette 

 Valley, Idaho, claim that epidemics occur among the jack rabbits in 

 that region every five or six years. The following table gives briefly 

 the epidemics which have been reported in the West during the last 

 forty years, but the list is very incomi)lete: 



J'artial Lint of Rabbit KpidemivH in lliv fl'cst. 



State. 



LocaUty. 



Date. 



Authority. 



California 



Do 



Do 



Idaho 



Nevada 



Utah 



Do 



Fresno County 



Modoc County 



Modoilo Plumas County 



Pavetle Valltv 



Ash Meadows, N'xo County. . . 

 Near Groat Salt Lake 



Iron County 



Central Utah 



North of the Columbia 



Near mouth Snake Kiver 



Autumn, 1892 



Autumn, 1893 



August. 1894 



(FnMiucnJ) 1878... 



Kt.:?:.::;:;: 



1877 



Geo. B. Otis, Selma. 



A. C. Lowell. Fort BidwoU. 



F. Stcnliens. 



Mi^j. Chas. Boudire. 



George Watkius, Ash Meadows. 



J. A. All.n, Mon. X. Am. l{o«len- 



tia. 1877, p. 372. 

 M Hii'hards jr Parowuii 



Do 



Waehlngtou . . . 



Do 



1885 or 1886 



About 1853 



Suuinior, 1890 



Marrus K.,I(inc.H, Salt Lake Ciiy. 

 Coop.r & (iilil)H,Pac. It. K. Kei)U., 



XII. Pl.II,186(Mtii.87, 131. 

 Clark r. Streator. 



' Monographs of American Rodentia, 1877, p. 372. 



