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Show COUES ON GEOMYS AND THOMOMYS. 247 re-appearing by name, remained names only, with copied or compiled accounts attached. Professor Baird's only compilation was in the case of Thomomys " talpoides," which he did not claim to recognize. He examined the Philadelphia types of "borealis" and "townsendii," which Dr. LeConte had already satisfactorily located. He referred "Diplostoma bulbivorum" to the Californian form, remarking upon its close affinity to T. "douglasii," and established the identity of "umbrinus" with the New Mexican form. He adopted as distinct species the T. rufescens of Maximilian and T. fulvus of Woodhouse, and added a new one, T. laticeps. His descriptions are like those of Richardson's in their minuteness and accuracy, which leave no doubt of his meaning, and the continual recurrence of comparative expression favors recognition of the discriminations made; but, as in the former case, they include much repetition of generic characters. It is a significant fact, however, that in this article the author omits the admirable antithetical tables he usually gives, and throughout seems to have rather undertaken the identification and description of the species currently recognized at the time, than a critical revision of the subject. Alluding to his lack of adequate material, he frankly characterizes the article as "a very unsatisfactory account.'* I have only to add to this, that, as is well known, the tendency at the time Professor Baird's article was written was to push specific discriminations beyond a point now usual. Under such circumstances as this sketch of the history of the genus shows to have existed, it would be singular if some combination of currently-recognized species were not required. The reduction I find necessary, and propose to make, is after all not a violent one. Holding for the moment the three forms 1 shall describe as geographical races to be species-and they would be so regarded by any one working upon a moderate number of specimens-the following are the only combinations required: BAIRD, 1857. COUES, 1875. 1. Thomomys bulbivorus ..") f 2. Thomomys laticeps..,,, j> Pacific coast region ...........................< BULBIVORUS .. 3. Thomomys douglassii.. J " L 4. Thomomys Vborealis. ..^ f 1 I * 8 " 5. Thomomys rufescens ... > Northern Interior.......................... ....< TALPOIDES .... _L h "^ * 6. Thomomys "talpoides". J I 7. Thomomys umbrinus... 1 „ f > Southern Interior and Lower California. .......< UMBRINUS .... 8. Thomomys fulvus...... J (^ 9 ^ <» S « ™ ° 1g rd 'S *& ^4 & O dj 0 ° !is! 30 pn O iD "*^ C3 O H"" feD QO ""^ |
