BY
E. RAYMOND HALL and KEITH R. KELSON
University of Kansas Publications
Museum of Natural History
Volume 5, No. 5, pp. 49–58
October 1, 1951
University of Kansas
LAWRENCE
1951
[Pg 50]University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History
Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, A. Byron Leonard,
Edward H. Taylor, Robert W. Wilson
Volume 5, No. 5, pp. 49–58
October 1, 1951
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
PRINTED BY
FERD VOILAND, JR., STATE PRINTER
TOPEKA, KANSAS
1951
23–7436
BY
E. RAYMOND HALL AND KEITH R. KELSON
IN preparing maps showing the geographic distribution of North Americanlagomorphs, some conflicting statements in the literature have led us toexamine the pertinent specimens of the Florida cottontail and theAudubon cottontail with results as given below. The study here reportedupon was aided by a contract between the Office of Naval Research,Department of the Navy, and the University of Kansas (NR 161–791).Unless otherwise indicated, catalogue numbers are of the United StatesNational Museum and most of the specimens are in the Biological Surveyscollection of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Grateful acknowledgment ismade to persons in charge of the collections for permission to use thecollections under their charge.
Sylvilagus floridanus similis Nelson
1907. Sylvilagus floridanus similis Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc.Washington, 20:82, July 22.
Some confusion has existed concerning the subspecific identity of theFlorida cottontail in Nebraska because of the way in which Nelsonrecorded specimens in his "The Rabbits of North America" (N. Amer.Fauna, 29:fig. 11, and pp. 169–174, August 31, 1909). He (op.cit.:174) listed the following specimens under the western subspecies,S. f. similis: Two topotypes (Nos. 87784 and 18738/25532) and ofcourse the type; the specimen (No. 116288) from the Snake River [= SnakeCreek of maps], 11 mi. NW Kennedy; two from Neligh (126074 and 151438);and one (probably 18680/25410) from Kennedy. But, he listed (op.cit.:172) under S. f. mearnsi, the eastern subspecies, a specimen(10721) from Brownlee, and two from Kennedy. One of the two from Kennedyprobably was the one that is recorded in the files of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service as "identified by Cary. spec. in Univ. Nebraska". Theother, or third, specimen from Kennedy, we judge, did not exist at allbut was recorded by Nelson because a card in the reference file, under[Pg 52]Kennedy, Nebraska, in addition to No. 18680/25410, carried a secondentry, a number 3471X. The latter is the X-catalogue number of specimenNo. 116288 from the Snake River! The X-catalogue is used in place of afield catalogue for specimens sent to the mammal collection of theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service, by persons who do not keepregular field numbers of their own. It seems that Nelson prepared (orhad prepared) his lists of specimens, at least in part, from cardsrather than from the labels on the specimens themselves. Some furthe