i 
1876.] Recent Literature. : 363 
twenty-four pages is based on the material (“several thousand speci- 
mens”) in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, and is stated to 
be an abstract of a memoir! in which the characters of the varieties, 
species, and higher groups are to be given, with synonymy, bibliography, 
etc. In this paper the family Muride is taken in its usual acceptation, 
with the exclusion of the genus Jaculus (= Zapus), formerly included 
among the Muride. The four introduced species, namely, the common 
house rats and mice, are mentioned merely by name, but the principal 
synonomy in the cases of the indigenous species, generic and subgeneric 
diagnosis, and the geographical distribution of the species and varieties 
are also added. Of the genus Neotoma four species are given, including 
one (N. magister) fossil from the caves of Pennsylvania. The others 
are N. Floridana, under which are placed N. Mexicana and N. micropus 
of Baird’s General Report on the Mammals of North America; N. 
fuscipes, and N. cinerea, the latter embracing also N. occidentalis of 
Baird’s General Report. The species of Sigmodon are reduced to one, 
S. Berlandieri Baird and Hesperomys Tolticus De Saussure being re- 
ferred to S. hispidus. The species of Hesperomys are also greatly re- 
duced in number, and are placed in three subgenera: Vesperimus, here 
first characterized, and Onychomys and Oryzomys of Baird. Of the 
subgenus Vesperimus six species are recognized, including two from 
Mexico, one of which is described as new. ‘The other four are H. leuco- 
pus, with four varieties (leucopus, gossypinus, Sonoriensis, eremicus, and 
aureolus), Michiganensis, and Californicus. Under variety leucopus are 
included no Jess than fourteen nominal species of previous authors, while 
two others appear under variety aureolus. The subgenus Onychomys 
includes two species, one of which (torridus) is described as new from 
rizona; the other (leucogaster) includes also the Mus Missouriensis 
of Audubon and Bachman. The subgenus Oryzomys embraces the 
single species palustris ; making altogether nine North American species 
of Hesper omys. Ochetodon is described as a new genus, with three species 
given as well-established and two that are doubtful. In a foot-note, under 
Ochetodon, the genus Ruthrodon is characterized, and diagnosis given of 
its two subgenera, one of which (Euneomys) is new. 
In the arvicoline group (subfamily Arvicoline) Evotomys is diagnosed 
a a new genus, with one species, the netelies of Pallas, which is re- 
garded as circumpolar in its distribution, and as shading southward in 
North America into variety Gappari (= Arvicola Gappari auct.). The 
old genus Arvicola is divided into four subgenera, namely, Myonomes 
Raf, Chilotus and Pedomys Baird, and Pitymys McMurtrie, and em- 
s six species. To the old A. riparius Ord, or the common meadow 
