540 IT. S. P. R. R, EXP. AND SURVEYS-ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT. 
in some specimens they predominate along the hack. The sides are rather paler. The belly 
is a pale cinnamon, brighter than that of the upper parts ; the colors of the sides and belly 
melt quite insensibly into each other. The basal lead color of the under fur is generally seen 
to a greater or less extent. The feet and upper part of the tail are colored somewhat like the 
hack, or cinnamon brown lined equally with black, the tail darkest, sometimes nearly uniform 
blackish brown, especially towards the tip ; the under part of the tail like the belly. 
There does not appear to he much variation in the colors of this species, except that in a 
midsummer specimen the colors are a little brighter and darker cinnamon. Winter specimens 
are paler. A skin from St. Louis has the longest fur of all the skins in the collection, and has 
the cinnamon color of the belly very distinct. 
1469. 1 
No. 740.1 
No. 987. 3 
No. 266. 3 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Head and body. 
4 
4.50 
4.60 
4.25 
Tail, vertebrae. 
1.20 
broken. 
1.00 
1.30 
1.35 
1.20 
1.50 
Hind foot. 
.80 
.80 
.80 
.80 
longest toe. 
.20 
.22 
.28 
Fore foot. t . .. 11 . 
.45 
.43 
.43 
longest toe T f ...... 
.25 
.22 
.Ear 
.35 
.45 
.42 
1 From West-Northfield * From Racine. 
1999. The skull of this species is of average breadth among Arvicolae, its dimensions being 
(in No 1999) 1.10 inch by 63, or as 100 : 57. The cerebral portion is rather short, the narrow¬ 
ing of the interorbital space commencing about the middle of the axial line of the skull, or even 
a little behind it. The nasal branches of the intermaxillary extend further back on the fore¬ 
head than the nasal bone, and in some cases pass the line of the lachrymals. The line of 
molars is short in the upper jaw, less than one-fourth the length of the skull. The distance 
from the upper molars to the posterior face of the incisors is about one-third that from the 
incisors to the occiput, or a little more in some specimens. 
The posterior upper molar is about equal to the middle one, and shorter than the anterior; 
it is composed of one anterior triangle, one exterior, one interior, and one posterior loop or 
hook. This loop is somewhat Y-shaped, connected with the pedicel of the interior triangles by 
its outer leg; it is rather acute behind, and both legs are slightly concave both on the inner face 
of the tooth, and the outer. There are thus but three salient angles on either side, including 
the posterior loop. 
The anterior lower molar is less than half as long as the other two. It presents five internal 
salient angles and four external, besides the anterior loop which is angular on the side and may 
be considered as forming an additional angle, especially externally. There are, however, of com¬ 
pletely closed triangles, one posterior, two internal and one external; the anterior lobe has two 
salient angles on either side, and an anterior sub-angular loop, the dentine in all broadly 
communicating. 
In one specimen, 1997, the skull of which is larger than others, the teeth are wider ; the first 
