| OCR Text |
Show I I I 240 EXPJ_jOUA'riON OF TOE CANONS OF TllE UOLOltADO. described in thit:i paper. The teeth of old animals are also of immense size, suggcstiug a heaver or porcupine; the under incisors sometimes protrude nearly an inch, while the upper ones are exposed for over half an inch. rrbe next most notable feature is the nakedness of the tail and feet. The tail, in extreme cases, is absolutely bare-not a hair or bristle can be discerned, even on holding the specimen up to tho light, except upon the enlarged base In these case~, the hind feet, from the tarso-metatarsal joint outward, are nearly bare, though a few bristly hairtS may be observed, especially on the toes. The hands share the same nakedness, but in loss degree; their backs arc spar ely clothed with bristly hairs, indeed, but not in sufficient quantity to conceal the skin; a slight stiff fringe of hairs overhangs the inner border. Specimens vary in these respects; in some, delicate bristle~, scarcely visible except when hold up to a light, are scattered over the tail, and more evident ones clothe the instep. But the parts are never fairly hairy, as in mexicanus, always presenting a peculiar skinny appearance. rrhore are additional characters, aside from size and color. The very short tail is less than one-fourth as long as the head and body. Owing, in part, to a less development of the fore claws, the hands arc not as long as the feet. rrhe longest third claw before me i only exscrted three-fourths of an inch, and it is usually shorter than this. 'l'ho second and fourth claws are subequal to each other. The whole hand is smaller and weal<er than in the G. bur,' iarius group, indicating less fossorial nature; and coincidently with this-perhaps in corre pondenco with it-t.he chock-pouches are not so highly-developed. As well as can be judged from prepared skin , the sacs do not reach beyond the head-certainly not to the shoulder; their capacity, in an inrlividual nearly a foot long, seems no greater than that of specimens of G. bursa1'ius eight inches long, and not more than half' as bulky. The hispid pelage is a remarkable fcatu ro; this is so st.rong a character that the pecics may readily be uiagnosticatcd in tho dark by the "feel" of' the fur,. and it is insta~tly noted in comparison with any of tho other species, in wl11ch the pelage IS sleek and soft, much like a mole's. Besides being so coarse and harsh, and almo t cutircly lusterless, it is lon1rcr than u ual aud ~nlor porsec~ wit~ tilllo~gor and almo t bri t.Iy hairs. There is no por~cpttble under-fur ddferent from the general pelage; and the color is unif(>rm to OOUES ON GEOMYS AND THOMOMYS-G. HISPIDUS. 241 the roots of tho hairs. The whiskers are numerous, but short; the longest not equaling the hoarl. There are other lengthened bristles over the eyes, on the cheeks, ann elsewhere; but they are not readily discovered amidst the coarse hispid hair of the parts. There is no occasion to enlarge upon general characters of the muffle, feet, &c., shared by other species. In the best-prepared specimens, the large orifice of the external ear is seen to be nearly surrounded by a small but unmistakable flap. It is characteristic of all the other species of Geomys I know of, those with soft hair, to have plumbeous-colored fur at base, pointed with the particular brown, fulvous, or other shade which determines their appearance to the eye. rrhe case is different with G. hispidus, in which the pelage is unicolor from base to tip; and the color, too, is peculiar. I t is a dark mahogany- brown, or rather a chocolate, or cafe sans lait color, a little lighter or darker according to age or season, or fortuitously, but in any event uniform over all the upper parts and sides. Upderncath the color is the same, hut paler and dilute-like cafe au lait; sometimes quite smoky gray, or muddy brown. The under parts, however, frequen tly show patches of white hero and there; these are altogether indeterminate, being as irregular in size, shape, number, and position as the similar white patches on the under side of a mink (Putorius vison ). It is probable, also, that plumbago-colored individuals occur, as happens to the other species; but I have seen none such. The uakcd parts appear to have been roddish or flesh-colored; the claws ar~ an i udofinite horn-color; the incisors arc faced with t.he usual rodent-red; color of eyes not stated on labels, but probably black. The size of the species can only be approximately estimated from the dried skins; but it is evidently the largest spec.ies of those here treated, somewhat exceeding G. mexicanus. Well-prepared skins average about 11 inches iu length, with a girth of some !1 inches. The tail, from the extreme base, is less than 3 inches; its naked part hardly over 2. Sole of foot about 1~· ; palm, iucluding longest claw, less than this. No...,c to eye, nearly li. A ruler inserted in the pouch measures off about 2~ inches from the bottom of the sac to the snout. The opening of the sac is about 1 i inc he long. In a female, killed during lactation apparently, I find, after diligent search, 31 OOL |
