MR.  E.  T.  BENNETT'S  REMARKS  ON  THE  GENUS  LAGOTIS. 
333 
softness.  The  hairs  in  both  species,  especially  those  which  form  the  mass  of  the  fur, 
are  wavy  for  the  greater  part  of  their  length,  their  tips  only  being  straight :  those  of 
the  middle  of  the  sides  measure,  when  their  natural  waves  are  not  interfered  with,  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  Lag.  pallipes,  and  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  Lag.  Cuvieri.  The 
longer  and  more  bristle-like  hairs,  the  black  tips  of  which  project  slightly  beyond  the 
general  mass  of  the  fur,  are  rather  more  numerous  in  Lag.  pallipes  than  in  Lag.  Cuvieri : 
but,  notwithstanding  this,  the  general  tint  of  the  colouring  is  nearly  the  same  in  both 
animals,  a  greyish  ash-colour  tinged  with  yellowish  and  varying  in  intensity  in  undula- 
tions ;  along  the  middle  of  the  back  the  black-tipped  hairs  prevail  to  an  extent  which 
causes  an  indication  of  a  darker-coloured  line.  The  individual  hairs  have  the  same 
colour  in  both  species  ;  and  it  is  essential  to  remark  that  their  basal  portion  is  dusky 
and  by  no  means  brown.  The  under  surface  of  Lag.  pallipes  is  of  a  rather  pale  fulvous 
colour,  all  the  hairs  being  tipped  with  that  tint,  though  they  are  equally  dusky  at  the 
base  with  those  of  the  upper  surface :  the  fulvous  colour  extends  along  the  under  sur- 
face to  the  mouth,  becoming  paler  as  it  advances  forwards,  and  fading  almost  into 
white  under  the  lower  jaw ;  surrounding  the  vent  its  intensity  is  considerable ;  it 
reaches  nearly  half  way  up  the  sides,  and  is  almost  sharply  divided  from  the  grey  of 
the  upper  surface ;  and  it  occupies  the  whole  of  the  inner  side  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
limbs  and  the  entire  feet,  being,  however,  on  the  latter  of  a  much  paler  tint,  approaching 
to  whiteness  :  in  Lag.  Cuvieri  the  under  surface  is  only  less  grey  than  the  upper,  and 
the  feet  are  almost  purely  grey,  the  hairs  which  cover  them  being  partly  dusky  and 
partly  whitish,  and  having  no  intermixture  of  yellow  or  fulvous.  The  colouring  of  the 
under  surface,  and  especially  of  the  feet,  is  consequently  strongly  distinctive  between 
the  two  species  of  Lagotis ;  and  that  of  the  long  bristles  which  form  a  high  crest  along 
the  upper  surface  of  the  tail  and  project  beyond  its  extremity,  affords  another  equally 
well  marked  character :  in  Lag.  Cuvieri  the  greater  number  of  these  rigid  hairs  are 
whitish,  and  with  these  are  intermixed  (somewhat  in  tufts)  others  which  are  black, 
those  of  the  extremity  being  entirely  black  ;  in  Lag.  pallipes  it  is  only  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  crest  that  there  is  any  intermixture  of  whitish  or  black  hairs ;  these  are 
immediately  replaced  by  others  of  a  dull  ferruginous  or  rusty  tint,  which  are  continued 
to  the  extremity  of  the  tail  and  project  beyond  it  in  a  tuft  of  a  brighter  and  deeper  rust 
colour  than  the  adjoining  ones.  The  under  surface  and  sides  of  the  tail  are  covered  in 
both  species  by  the  same  short,  rigid,  adpressed  hairs,  of  a  mixed  grey  colour,  which  is 
deeper  beneath,  and  forms  along  the  middle  of  the  under  surface  an  almost  black  line. 
Such  are  the  principal  differences  manifested  by  the  second  species  of  Lagotis  on  a 
comparison  of  it  with  the  one  which  formed  the  type  of  the  genus.  Subjoined  are  a  few 
of  the  more  important  admeasurements  of  each,  derived  from  the  skins. 
Lag.  Cuvieri.        Lag.  pallipes. 
Length  of  the  body  and  head  
ft.  in. 
.•14 
ft.  in. 
1  3 
.    .  lU 
9 
.    •  24 
3+ 
3 
VOL.  I.  2  Y 
