1915.] 



THOMOMYS TOWNSENDI GEOUP. 



43 



STcuU. — Large and wide with spreading zygomatic arches, narrow 

 nasals and rostrum, and short, wide braincase ; sagittal and occipital 

 crests well developed in old males ; audital bullae large but depressed to 

 level of basioccipital, rather angular; basioccipital thick and narrow; 

 pterygoids high but short and thickened at margins. Dentition 

 heavy; incisors long and slightly projecting; inner groove obscure. 



Measurements. — Adult male: Total length, 305; tail vertebrae, .100; 

 hind foot, 38. Adult female: 276, 75, 35. These are about average 

 measurements. SliuU ( c? ad.): Basal length, 49; nasals, 18; zygo- 

 matic breadth, 35; mastoid breath, 29; interorbital breadth, 8; 

 alveolar length of upper molar series, 10. 



Remarks. — The type of Bachman's Geomys townsendii which evi- 

 dently was labeled, not by the collector but after it came into the 

 possession of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Rocky 

 Mts., J. K. Townsend," is fortunately still extant. Bachman pub- 

 hshed Richardson's manuscript description of the species in 1839, 

 and stated that it came from the Columbia River. It was a mounted 

 specimen with the skull inside, and its identity has caused much 

 speculation. Through the kindness of Dr. Witmer Stone, of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, the type is now before me and the 

 skull has been removed and cleaned. The type is an immature female 

 and much faded, but the skull serves to identify the species at once 

 as one which I recently described under the name atrogriseus from 

 southern Idaho. I take pleasure in yielding my recent name in favor 

 of one which for 76 years has been misapplied. In 1834, J. K. 

 Townsend made his journey to the coast of Oregon through southern 

 Idaho, and very probably secured the type of the species named for 

 him near the present town of Nampa, where his party camped 

 August 22 to trade with the Indians.^ The type locality of TJiomomys 

 townsendi may therefore be fixed as the vicinity of Nampa, where 

 these large gophers still abound and from which place we have a fine 

 series of specimens. 



My atrogriseus was described as a subspecies of nevadensis, but now 

 nevadensis becomes a subspecies of townsendi since the latter is the 

 earlier name. The nearest relationships are with the hottse and 

 perpallidus groups, but there is probably no direct connection with 

 either at the present time. 



Specimens examined. — Total number, 63, as foUows: 



Idaho: American Falls, 10; Caldwell, 2; Nampa, 19; Payette, 14; Weiser, 4. 

 Oregon: Ontario, 2; Owyhee, 6; Vale, 6. 



1 Townsend, J. K., Narrative of a Jovirney Across the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River, 136, 

 1839. 



