| OCR Text |
Show COUES ON GEOMYS AND THOMOMYS. 249 coast race have larger fore claws than the Southern style of the Pacific-coast race or than the Southern Interior race. The difference is sufficient to raake the whole hand of the former about equal to the foot, while, in the latter, the hand is usually shorter than the foot. But this is only true as a rule; there are many exceptions. In all three of the forms, the tail, measured from its true base, ranges from one-third to one-half the total length of head and body, though only rarely reaching either of these extremes. Nothing can be predicated on this score. Color.-The Northern Interior race is a rat-colored animal, hoary-gray underneath, with white tail and feet, much white about the mouth, and no sooty-blackish there. The Pacific-coast race is a rich dark-brown animal, muddy-bellied, with dusky tail and feet, wrholly or in part, and sooty about the mouth. The Southern Interior race is -usually a rich tawny or fulvous animal, with partly dark tail or feet, or both, sooty mouth-parts, and white pouches. This race is particularly variable in color; and, in every respect of color, all the races show much variation, and, moreover, intergrade completely. The various forms under which the genus Thomomys is exhibited may be discriminated, as far as it is possible to do so, by the following characters : A. Large. Hind foot an inch or more long. Tail at least one-third as long as head and body. Above brown, reddish, &c. Below gray, brown, reddish, &c. (not white). Ears in a blackish area well developed..... 1. TALPOIDES. a. Six to eight inches long; fore claws highly developed (0.45 to 0.55 long), making the hand about as long as the foot. Color of the house-rat, with white tail and feet, and usually white about the mouth and throat; no contrasts of dark color about the mouth. Northern Interior... a. talpoicfes. b. Seven to nine inches long; fore claws less developed, usually under 0.50, leaving the hand shorter than the foot. Reddish-brown, the belly muddy-brownish, feet and tail usually not entirely white; mouth-parts dark, contrasting with white of the pouch-lining. Pacific coast..... b. bulbivorus. 32 COL |
