OCR Text |
Show 284 DR. EINAR LONNBERG ON HYBRID [Apr. 18, was much lighter than the others. The general colour of the hack is a sandy greyish yellow, produced by the pale yellow to whitish-yellow tips of the hairs which almost entirely conceal the next portions of the hairs which are dark brown. The under-fur is silky white. The sides of the breast have a silvery-white haze on a rusty ground-colour, produced by long white hairs and white tips to the other hairs, the lower portions of which are rusty. The lower neck and chest have a pale rusty-yellow ground-colour, which, however, is almost concealed, or at least veiled over, by very long white tips to the hairs. The head is like that of a Lepus europceus in its winter coat, but the white areas are more extended and more purely white, and the darker parts lighter, rust-coloured. The throat is pure white. The ears are somewhat lighter than those of L. europceus. The hind-neck is rust-coloured, much mixed with white. Hind-quarters and a portion of the lower back to an extent of 7 cm. are bluish ash-coloured. Fore legs rusty red in front, otherwise white; hind legs white with rusty patches. Tail white with a narrow stripe of greyish black above. The dimensions of this Hare were:-Total length about 58 cm.; length of head 1 1 | cm.; length of ears (measured as above) 13 cm. ; hind foot 16 cm. ; tail 10 cm. These measurements are partly intermediate between the average measurements for L. timidus and europceus, especially the length of the ears. The hind foot is nearly as large as in L. timidus and the tail as in L. europceus. These facts taken together with the colour indicate that this specimen is a hybrid. Such an opinion is also strengthened by an investigation of the skull. The greatest width of both nasals is contained more than twice in their length, as in L. europceus, but otherwise their general shape is intermediate. The height of the zygomatic arch is only 9 cm., but its foremost part in front of the deep groove for the insertion of masseter lateralis is almost higher than long, and differs in this respect from the condition found in L. europceus. The foremost premolar of the maxillary has three enamel-folds. Although, as the description indicates, this specimen is a hybrid, it resembles L. europceus more than the former hybrid does, and it may therefore be possible that it is the product of a secondary crossing between a hybrid of the first degree and a specimen of L. europceus. No real proofs for such an hypothesis can be offered, but it is made probable per analogiam by the existence of other specimens which also may be supposed to be products of a secondary crossing, but in this latter case between hybrids of the first degree and L. timidus. The first of such specimens was received in the middle of January 1905, from the estate Yrams-Gunnarstorp in Scania, belonging to Governor Tornerhjelm. Its ears were intermediate in length and measured about 13 cm.*' The tail was rather less than inter* I regret to say that the head of this specimen had been cut away in front of the ears, as is an old and habitual custom in Sweden, probably originally an act of superstition. |