28 



ITORTH AMEEICAIT FAUNA. 



[No. 87. 



derstown, E. I.) : General tone, both above and below, pinkish buff 

 (the hairs extensively tipped with that color and the bases of same 

 shade), becoming pinkish cinnamon on hinder back; sub terminal 

 band of eachliair blackish brown; fore legs Sanford's brown; hind 

 legs tawny; top of head hair-brown. 



Sliull. — Similar to that of rufescens, but smaller and relatively 

 narrower, especially the rostrum and interorbital region; bullae 

 smaller; much larger than that of canadensis, with longer, slenderer 

 rostrum and longer nasals. 



Measurements. — ^Adult male:^ Total length, 418-608 (average 515) ; 

 tail vertebrae, 105-149 (120) ; hindfoot, 75-80 (77.7). Adult female:^ 

 465-600 (547); 100-157 (141); 69-88 (77). ^WZ: Adult male: ^ 

 Condylo-basal length, 84-89 (86.2); palatal length, 49.9-51.6 (50.7); 

 postpalatal length, 31.2-33.4 (32); length of nasals, 34.3-37.7 (35.9); 

 zygomatic breadth, 57.3-60.4 (58.7) ; breadth across mastoids, 

 4L3-44.3 (42.8); least interorbital breadth, 20.7-22.5 (22.1); 

 breadth of rostrum, 17.2-18.6 (18.2); maxillary tooth row, 18.2- 

 20.2 "(19.1). Adult female:^ Condylo-basal length, 79.1-86.6 (83); 

 palatal length, 47.7-51.6 (49.5); postpalatal length, 28-31.8 (30.1); 

 length of nasals, 33.7-36.8 (35.6); zygomatic breadth 54-58 (56.6); 

 breadth across mastoids, 37.7-42 (40.3); least interorbital breadth, 

 19.8-22.6 (21.6); breadth of rostrum, 16-19.5 (18); maxillary tooth 

 row, 18-20.4 (19.3). 



Remarks. — The New England woodchuck is noticeably smaller 

 and paler than rufescens, and larger and paler beneath than canaden- 

 sis. In skull characters it most resembles rufescens and probably 

 intergrades with it where their ranges meet, but no intermediate 

 specimens have been examined. A specimen from Liberty Hill, 

 Conn., has somewhat redder underparts than the Massachusetts 

 series, its skull being fairly typical of preUorum. Specimens of 

 rufescens from the Hudson Valley, however, approach monax rather 

 than prellorum in skull characters. Intergradation with canadensis 

 also undoubtedly occurs, but material from northern New England 

 is needed to show where the two forms come together. Specimens 

 from Rutland, Vt., agree in skull characters with prellorum, but one 

 of the two skins examined is somewhat redder below than in Massa- 

 chusetts examples. 



Specimens examined. — Total number, 38, as follows: 



Connecticut: East Wallingford, 1;^ Liberty Hill, 1.^ 

 Maine: Eliot, 1; Norway, 1.^ 



1 Seven specimens from eastern Massachusetts. 



^ Nine specimens from eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. 

 3 Five specimens from Wilmington and Wareham, Mass. 

 i Four specimens from Wilmington and Lunenburg, Mass. 

 6 Collection Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 6 Collection Mus. Comp. Zool, 



