REMARKS on the genus lepus. 81 
correcting their synonyms. He had found the true 
epus americanus of its first describer, in the 
northern hare, to which, by all our authors, our 
gray rabbit was referred, and he now sought for 
Lepus virginianus of American writers, not sus- 
pecting that he had already found and described it 
under its true name of L. americanus. 
The present species appears to be intermediate 
m size between the polar and northern hares, and 
a though very distinct from either, approaches the 
former nearer than the latter. Its fur is soft and 
dense like that of the polar hare, but the hairs are 
not white throughout their whole extent, as in that 
species, having a narrow bar of brown in the mid- 
e, whilst all the remaining portions are white. 
1 he ears are shorter than those of the polar hare, 
but longer than those of the northern hare. From 
the northern hare (L. americanus , Erx.) it differs 
in its ears, which being an inch longer are marked 
by a decided black tip at their extremities, of an 
inch in breadth. The fur covering the ears is also 
shorter and more compact. There is a broad stripe 
of buff-yellow on the upper portion of the external 
surface of the ear, the hairs being sooty-brown at 
their roots; these markings are not found in 
the northern hare; the fur of the present species 
is whiter, and more compact than that of the 
northern hare, appearing, externally, snowy-white, 
wit out any admixture of fawn color, which is 
a ways visible through the loose covering of the 
o ler species. The fur of the northern hare is deep 
gray at the base, then broadly marked with yellow- 
vol. vm. — 1839. li 
