LIBRARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOIiniliSNI NVINOSH1MS S3IUV co z co z co < A ^ -jfc, < NOIiniliSNI _NVINOSHilWS C/) S3 ldVd9ll_LIBRARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTITl Z ,,, xv Z CO .^' _ \^VA^X o N^osv^X ~ O x ^ os :;RARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOIiniliSNI NVINOSH1IWS z: ^vsovTX .^ /^]^^'^\ O sx. 1 /^^ ^y > ^^^^ i ^ >- NoiiniiisNi isiviNOSHii^s^ss i avnan LIBRARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTIT o > co in J LIB RAR I ES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOIiniliSNI "WlNOSHilWS ^53 I W IBSgt m \W X^^VA^X m X^^X ^ m CO _ CO CO R ARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOIiniliSNI NVfNQ6Hl!WS S3ldVH8l f> Z T C/> Z CO inillSNl__NVINOSHimS v < -d^S . . |i J3 co &am*iJr i ^^1^ ^^ = VoT ^^^ ,_ RAR I ES^SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOIiniliSNI NVINOSHIII^IS^SS I U Vd 8 co ^ co co E/J Q inillSNl"'NVINOSHilWS Z S3 I dVd 3 ll^LI B RAR I ES 2 SMITHSONIAN~INSTITUTIC m J R AR I ES^SMITHSONIAN~INSTlTUTION C/> NOIinillSNl""NVINOSHimS S3 I HVd 8 g z '"if /'* '' i SN^- | ' I a Vd 8 1 1 Z LI B RAR I ES^SMITHSONIAN^INSTITUTIC JR ARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOIinillSNI NVINOSHllkMS PROCEEDINGS OF THE Biological Society ol Washington VOLUME XIV 1901 WASHINGTON PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY 1902 COMMITTEE OK PUBLICATIONS W. P. HAY,* Chairman. T. S. PALMER DAVID WHITE *Vice C. L. Pollard who served in this position from January, 1901 to October, 1901. CONTENTS. Page Officers and committees for 1901 Proceedings , : Ribes coloradense, an Undescribed Currant from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, by Frederick V. Coville 1-6 Fifth List of Additions to the Flora of Washington, D. C., by Theo. Holm 7-22 General Notes 23-25 The sub-genus RMnosciurus of Trouessart, 23; On the name Vespertilio Uossemllii, 24; The name of the Aard Vark, 24; The name of the Ogotona, 24; The name of the Yiscacha, 25; A correction of Vernonia gigantea pubescens, 25. A New Spiny Rat from LaGuaira, Venezuela, by Oldfield Thomas 27-28 Two New Bighorns and a New Antelope from Mexico and the United States, by C. Hart Merriam 29-32 A New Squirrel from Borneo, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 33-34 A New Deer from Costa Rica, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 35-37 A New Dormouse from Italy, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 39-40 Five New Shrews from Europe, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 41-45 Sixth List of Additions to the Flora of Washington, D. C. and Vicinity, by Edward S. Steele 47-86 Juncus ColumUanus, an undescribed Rush from the Columbian Plains, by Frederick V. Coville 87-89 The Generic Names Myrmecophaga and Tamandua, and the Specific Names of the Opossums of the Genus DidelpMs, by J. A. Allen : 91-93 A New Shrew from Switzerland, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 95-96 The Alpine Varying Hare, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 97-98 Six New Mammals from Cozumel Island, Yucatan, by C. Hart Merriam 99-104 A New Brocket from Yucatan, by C. Hart Merriam 105-106 Descriptions of Twenty-three New Pocket Gophers of the Genus Thomomys, by C. Hart Merriam 107-117 Descriptions of Four New Peccaries from Mexico, by C. Hart Merriam ... 119-124 Two New Rodents from Northwestern California, by C. Hart Merriam : '. 125-126 Descriptions of Three New Kangaroo Mice of the Genus Micro- dipodops, C. Hart Merriam 127-128 A New Species of Galictis from Mexico, by E. W. Nelson 129-130 Descriptions of Two New Squirrels from Mexico, by E. W. Nel son 131-132 The Earliest Generic Name of the Northern Fur Seal, by T. S. Palmer 133-134 A New Pocketmouse from Southern California, by Edgar A. Mearns 135-136 The American Jaguars, by Edgar A. Mearns 137-143 Description of a New Ocelot from Texas and Northeastern Mexico, by Edgar A. Mearns 145-148 Two New Cats of the Eyra Group from North America, by Ed gar A. Mearns 149-151 On the Mainland Forms of the Eastern Deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafmesque), by Edgar A. Mearns 153-155 Descriptions of Three New Asiatic Shrews, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr 157-159 (iii) iv Contents. Some New and Additional Records on the Flora of West Vir ginia, by Charles L. Pollard and William R. Maxon '... 101-163 New and Little Known Coccidcp. I. Eipersiella and Ceroputo, . by T. D. A. Cockerell 165-167 Discriptions of a New Genus and Eleven New Species and Sub species of Birds from Mexico, by E. W. Nelson 169-175 General Notes 177-178 The bat genus Pteronotus renamed Dermonotus, 177; An ad- v dition to the avifauna of the United States, 177; A New Cy- pripedium, 178; A new name for Mus obscurus, Miller, 178. Two New Subterranean Crustaceans from the United States, by W. P. Hay .'.. 179-180 The Proper Generic Names of the Viscacha, Chinchillas, and their Allies, by J. A. Allen 181-182 Notes on the Names of a Few South American Mammals, by J. A. Allen 183-185 Seven New Birds from Paraguay, by Harry C. Oberholser 187-188 Diagnoses of Eight New Batrachians and Reptiles from the Riu Kiu Archipelago, Japan, by Leonhard Stejneger 189-191 A New White-footed Mouse from California, by Wilfred H. Osgood : 193-194 TEXT FIGURE. Page 95. Skulls of Crocidura russula and C. mimula. . . OFFICERS AND COUNCIL OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY Of WASHINGTON For 1901. (ELECTED DECEflBER 29, 1900.) WM. H. ASH ME AD C. W. STILES OFFICERS President F. A. LUCAS T 'ice- Presidents B. W. E VERM ANN F. H. KNOWLTON Recording Secretary W. H. OSGOOD Corresponding Secretary T. W. STANTON Treasurer DAVID WHITE WILLIAM H. BALL* THEODORE GILL* L. O. HOWARD* A. F. WOODS C. HART MERRIAM* T. S. PALMER COUNCIL (JHARLES L. POLLARD GEORGE M. STERNBERG* H. J. WEBBER M. B. WAITE LESTER F. WARD* CHARLES A. WHITE.* STANDING COMMITTEES-igoi. Committee on Communication^ W. H. OSGOOD, Chairman V. K. CHESNUT A. F. WOODS B. W. EVERMANN Committee on Publications C. L. POLLARD, Chair man\ T. S. PALMER DAVID WHITE *Ex-Presidents of the Society. ^Resigned Oct.. 1901, succeeded by W. P. HAY. VOL. XIV, PP. VII-XM JANUARY 20, 1902 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON PROCEEDINGS. The Society meets in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club on alternate Saturdays at 8 p. m. Brief notices of the meetings, with abstracts of the papers, are published in Science. January 12, 1901 332d Meeting. The President in the chair and 30 persons present. W. H. Dall exhibited X ray photographs showing the inner structure of shells. Vernon Bailey exhibited a plume hunters' skin of a grebe. The following communications were presented: Frank Cameron: The Formation of Black Alkali in Plants.* T. H. Kearney: The Effect of Alkali Salts on the Growth of Seedling Plants.* O..F. Cook: The Origin of the Cocoanut. f January 26, 1901 333d Meeting. The President in the chair and 48 persons present. The program for the evening consisted of a discussion of the subject, 'Former Land Connections Between Asia and North America,' with the following speakers: F. A. Lucas, Theo. Gill, W. II. Dall, F. V. Coville, and L. Stejneger. *U. S. Dept. Agric. Report No. 71 under the title, Some Mutual Re lations Between Alkali Soils and Vegetation. fCont. U. S. Nat. Herb. VII, No. 2, pp. 257-293, 1901. (vii) viii , The Biological Society of Washington. February 9, 1901 334th Meeting. The President in the chair and 50 persons present. The following communication was presented: H. C. Oberholser: A Naturalist in the Catskills (illustrated by lantern slides). The remainder of the evening was devoted to further discus sion of the subject 'Former Land Connections between Asia and North America,' with the following speakers: Theo. Gill, Vernon Bailey, B. W. Evermann, and Alpheus Hyatt. February 23, 1901 335th Meeting. The President in the chair and 28 persons present. B. W. Evermann outlined some observations on the activity of aquatic plants in winter. Wm. H. Ashmead stated some results of work upon the Hy- menoptera obtained by the Harriman Alaska Expedition. E. L. Morris exhibited photographs of botanical type speci mens. The following communications were presented: F. A. Lucas: A Fossil Flightless Auk.* W. P. Hay: The Distribution and Classification of the North American Crayfishes. M. B. Waite: Influence of Vegetation on the Sand Forma tions of the Michigan Lake Shore. March 9, 1901 336th Meeting. The President in the chair and 31 persons present. C. W. Stiles stated some preliminary results of investigations of diseases of sheep and cattle in Texas. The following communications were presented: B. W. Evermann: The Feeding Habits of the Coot and Other Water Birds. O. F. Cook: More about the Cocoanut. A. H. Ho well: Notes on the Distribution and Nomenclature of North American Skunks, f *Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XXIV, 133-134, figs. 1-3, 1901. f North Am. Fauna No. 20, pp. 1-45, Aug. 31, 1901. March 23, 1901 337th Meeting. The President in the chair and 41 persons present. The following communications were presented: S. D. Judd: Bird Food Problems (illustrated by lantern slides). F. A. Lucas: Some Restorations of Dinosaurs (illustrated by lantern slides). April 6, 1901 338th Meeting. The President in the chair and 40 persons present. The following communication was presented: Krwin F. Smith: The Bacterial Diseases of Plants* (illus trated by lantern slides). April 20, 1901 339th Meeting. The President in the chair and 26 persons present. The following communications were presented: O. F. Cook: The Shading of Coffee. f C. L. Pollard: Some Strange Methods of Plant Naming. J Theo. Gill: On the Mode of Progression and Habits of Some Dinosaurs. May 4, 1901 340th Meeting. Vice President Ashmead in the chair and 25 persons present. The following communications were presented: T. H. Kearney: Loeb's Investigations into the Action of Ions upon Animal Structures, as Supplemented by Studies with Seedling Plants. O. F. Cook: A Kinetic Theory of Evolution. g *Published in part in Centralblatt. f. Bakteriologie, 2te Abth. VII Bd., pp. 88, 128, 190, 1901. fBull. No. 25, Div. of Botany, U. 8. Dept. Agric., 1901. {Science, N. S., XI V, 280-285, Aug. 23, 1901. ^Science, N. S., XIII, 969-978, .Tune, 1901. x The Biological Society of Washington. October 19, 1901 34ist Meeting. Vice President Ashmead in the chair and 21 persons present. The following communications were presented: C. W. Stiles: The Recent International Zoological Congress. W. H. Ashmead: An Entomologist in the Sandwich Islands. Theo. Gill: Some Difficulties of Nomenclature at the Zoolog ical Congress. November 2, 1901 342d Meeting. The President in the chair and 39 persons present: H. J. Webber exhibited a diseased pineapple and discussed the cause of the condition. The following communications were presented: Charles Louis Pollard: Notes on a Trip to Mount Mitchell. II. J. Webber: A Cowpea Resistant to Root Knot Worm.* Frederick V. Coville: Exhibition of Specimens of Alaskan Willows. M. A. Carleton: Characteristics and Distribution of Xero- phytic Wheats, f November 16, 1901 343d Meeting. The President in the chair and 28 persons present. C. P. Hartley exhibited some malformed ears of corn grown from seed taken from ears similarly abnormal. H. E. Van Deman exhibited a specimen of the ripe fruit of guava grown in Florida. L. O. Howard announced that he had just learned through a letter from C. L. Marlatt that the original habitat of the San Jose scale insect had been found to be in China. The following communications were presented: H. G. Dyar: Notes on Mosquito Larvae. Vernon Bailey: The Little Deer of the Chisos Mountains, Texas, with exhibition of specimens. Barton W. Evermann: Birds in the Dry Season. C. B. Simpson: Some Observations on Jack Rabbits. *To be published as a Bulletin of the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. Agric. fBull. No. 3, Bureau PI. Ind., U. 8. Dept. Agric., under the title, Macaroni Wheats. November 30, 1901 344th Meeting. The President in the chair and 72 persons present. William Palmer exhibited some plaster moulds of reptiles and batrachians which had been used for the purpose of mis representing facts by a newspaper writer. The following communications were presented: K. W. Nelson: A Naturalist in Yucatan. II. J. Webber: The Strand Flora of Florida. December 14, 1901 345th Meeting. The President in the chair and 27 persons present. The following communications were presented: W. H. Holmes: Finds of Fossil Remains and Indian Imple ments in a Spring at Afton, Indian Territory. W. A. Orton: The Wilt Disease of the Cowpea and its Control.* Theo. Gill and 0. H. Townsend: The Largest Deep Sea Fish, j- William Palmer: A Study of Two 'Ghosts'. December 28, 1901 346th Meeting. (TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING.) The President in the chair and 13 members present. The annual reports of the Recording Secretary and Treasurer for the year 1901 were read and approved. The following offi cers were then elected for the ensuing year: President F. A. Lucas. Vice-presidents: B. W. Kvermann, W. H. Ashmead, F. H. Knowlton, T. S. Palmer. Recording Secretary: W. If. Osgood. Corresponding Secretary: T. W. Stan ton. Treasurer: David White. Members of the Council: A. F. Woods, C. L. Pollard, M. B. Waite, H. J. Webber, W. P. Hay. *To be published as a bulletin Bureau Plant Industry, U. S. Dept., Ajr?ic, fScienco, X. S. XIV. 987, Dec. 13, 1901. xii The -Biological Society of Washington. The president then announced the following committees: Committee on Communications: W. H. Osgood, B. W. Ev- ermann, A. F. Woods, V. K. Chesnut. Committee on Publications: W. P. Hay, T. S. Palmer, David White". VOL. XIV. PP. 1-6 MARCH 9, 1901 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON RIBES COLORADENSE, AN UNDESCRIBED CURRANT FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO. BY FREDERICK V. COVILLE. Several months ago in examining a collection of Ribes made by Mr. C. L. Shear in Colorado in 1896 and 1897, I found a fruiting specimen of the Rocky Mountain plant that has hith erto been identified by botanists with the species of the eastern United States, ~R. prostration L'Her. The specimen had, how ever, black instead of red fruit, and on a critical examination other differences were developed. A search- in the herbarium brought to light a few other specimens of this plant, in flower as well as in fruit, which have furnished excellent material for description, but the surprising fact was developed that the fruiting specimens on the type sheet of Ribes ivolfii Rothr., which is in the National ( Herbarium, were identical with our plant. It became necessary, therefore, to make a critical ex amination of Dr. Rothrock's species. Rihi'H irolfii* was described from specimens collected in Col orado, those in -flower from Mosquito Pass, those in fruit from *Mothrock, Am. Nat, 8 :358. 1874. 1 HIOL,. Soc. WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (1) 2 Coville Ribes Coloradense, an Undescribed Currant. Twin Lakes, f and these specimens are now known to represent two distinct species. Dr. Rothrock cited also, as synonymous, a third plant, Watson's Ribes sanguineum variegatum,\ a cita tion which led Dr. Watson later to reject Dr. Rothrock's species. The name Ribes wolfii has consequently disappeared from most botanical works. In this confusion it becomes neces sary to restrict the use of the name and I therefore designate as the type of Ribes wolfii the flowering specimen in the National Herbarium collected by John Wolf in June, 1873, at Mosquito Pass, a few miles east of Leadville, Colorado, at an elevation between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. I have found Ribes wolfii in herbaria under the names prostratum, mscossissimum, and hud- sonianum, with none of which species is it very closely related. Its nearest relative is Watson's Ribes sanguineum variegatum, a plant centering about the northern Sierra Nevada of Califor nia and distinct from true sanguineum. There is a question as to the proper name of this plant, which at the present time can not be satisfactorily determined. It may, therefore, continue to be called Ribes sanguineum, variegatitm until its correct name as a species can be definitely ascertained. Both variegtf- tum and wolfii are plants with unarmed stems, almost smooth, maple-like leaf-blades, racemose inflorescence, the bracts ovate or obovate and with thin hyaline margins, ovaries and fruit bearing glanduliferous hairs, flowers greenish or reddish, and calyx-tube not more than 3 mm. long and shorter than the lobes. Wolfii diifers from variegatum, however, in its usually green ish-white calyx about 5 mm. long, its tube about 1 mm. long and the lobes about 3 or 4 times the length of the tube; petals broadly rhombic-obovate, about a third the length of the calyx lobes; and anthers, when fully expanded, a little broader than long. I have seen no mature fruit of the species. Ribes san guineum variegatum has a usually red calyx about 6 mm. long, the tube about 2 mm. long, and the lobes about 1^ to 2 times fThe localities are attached to the proper specimens through a com parison of the data furnished by Rothrock's original description, by the label on the specimens, and by the references to Wolf's itinerary given in the Report of the Secretary of War for 1873, volume 2, part 2, pages. 483 and 484. JWats. Bot. King Surv. 100. 1871. Wats. Bibl. Ind. 337. 1878 Coville Ribes Coloradense, an Undescribed Currant. 3 the length of the tube; petals oblong-ovate, about two-thirds the length of the calyx lobes; and anthers when expanded usually much longer than broad. The specimens of Ribes wolfii that I have examined, in the National and Columbia University herbaria, and that of Mr. Frank Tweedy, are as follows: Colorado: Mosquito Pass, near Leadville, alt. 10,000 to 11,000 feet, John Wolf, 1873. Hinsdale County, F. N. Pease, 1878. Ouray County, near Silverton, on the headwaters of the Rio Las Animas, alt. 9,600 feet, Frank Tweedy, 1895 (No. 195). Ouray County, Mt. Abram, alt. 10,"500 feet, C. L. Shear, 1897 (No. 3195). West La Plata Mountains, Bear Creek Divide, alt. 11,500 feet, Baker, Earle, and Tracy, 1898 (No. 220). Utah: Wasatch Mountains, alt. 9, 000 .feet, Sereno Watson, 1869 (No. 377). Wasatch Mountains, American Fork -Canyon, alt. 9,500 Marcus E. Jones, 1880. Mountains east of Gunnison, alt. 9,500 feet, Lester F. Ward, 1875 (No. 274). "Central Utah, &c.," C. C. Parry, 1875. Ribes wolfti having thus been delimited, the plant confounded with it by Rothrock, and by most authors referred to Ribes iDn IV Her., is here described. Ribes coloradense sp. nov. Plant apparently procumbent; stems devoid of spines and prickles, at first minutely pubescent and bearing; some sessile glands, the thin silvery epidermis persisting for a few years over the brown bark; petioles com monly 3 to (3 cm. long, usually smooth on the back, the upper sides pubescent and glandular like the young twigs, the margins of the sheath ing portion provided with a few large, gland-tipped bristles; leaf-blades 4 Coville Ribes Coloradense, an- Undescribed Currant. commonly 4 to 7 mm. in width, cordate-reniform in general outline, 5-lobed, smooth on both surfaces, except sometimes for a very sparse pubescence on the veins beneath and on the margins, and with scattered minute sessile glands, the lobes ovate-triangular, bluntly acute or obtuse, doubly crenate-dentate; flowers from buds situated below those produc ing the leaves, but occasionally developing a single rudimentary leaf; race mes loosely 6 to 12-flowered, the pedicels commonly 4 to 8 mm. long and like the main axis glandular-hairy and minutely pubescent; bracts nar rowly linear to lanceolate-subulate, thick and herbaceous, not exceeding half the length of the pedicel, the lowermost one occasionally develop ing into a miniature leaf -blade; ovary glandular-hairy; calyx lobes widely spreading, slightly united at the base, ovate-rotund, slightly narrowed below to a very broad base, sparingly hairy on the outside with both gland- bearing and glandless hairs, greenish or somewhat purplish, the diameter of the open flower about 6 to 8 mm.; petals smooth, purplish, about 1 mm. long by 1.5 to 2 mm. broad, slenderly fan-shaped with much in curved sides; filaments smooth, of nearly uniform width throughout, about 1.2 mm. long, the anthers orbicular, a little less than 1 mm. in diameter; styles smopth, separate to the base, about 1.2 mm. long; fruit spherical, black without bloom, sparingly glandular-hairy, in our dried and flattened but not crushed specimens 6 to 10 mm. in diameter. Type specimen in the United States National Herbarium, collected July 27, 1896, in a moist shady place in Marshall Pass, Colorado, at an altitude of about 10,500 feet, by C. L. Shear (No. 1156). With Ribes wolfti the present species has no immediate rela tionship. Its racemes are developed from usually leafless later al buds on one-year-old wood and its calyx has widely spreading lobes and no evident tube. It has several other distinguishing characters, perhaps the most conspicuous of which are the sub ulate-lanceolate thick green bracts of the inflorescence, and the sparsity of the ovary hairs tipped with purple glands. Wolfti has its racemes borne on short leafy branches, the calyx tube well defined though short, and the lobes only moderately spreading^ the ovate or obovate-lanceolate, obtuse or broadly acute bracts with thin semi-transparent margins, and the ovary densely covered with yellowish-green stalked glands. To Ribes prostration^ however, and to Ribes laxiftorum Pursh our new species is closely related. From the former it may be distinguished by the rarity of leaves from the flower buds, the blunter character of its leaf lobes, a difference difficult to describe but better un derstood by a comparison of figures or specimens; its larger flowers, with calyx lobes sparingly hairy and about 3 mm. long; petals slenderly fan-shaped and much broader than long; and ( V>/v7/V' Ribes C/oloTdid&fisc, an T^n< j 4. Callitriche Austin! Engelm. Woods near Soldiers' Home. 3o6. Rhexia Mariana L. Not uncommon in swamps between Hyattsville and Highland, near the Reform School; woods at Marshall Hall. 3O7. Ammannia humilis Michx. Old river bottom near Hyattsville; swamps near the tow-path at Great Falls; common in wet places in the woods at Marshall Hall. 316^. (Enothera pumila L. Dry fields near Highland. 317. (Enothera sinuata L. Abundant in a low meadow near the Reform School. 327. Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L. Swamp near Marshall Hall. 332. Erigenia bulbosa Xutt. River shore at Great Falls, Md. 333. Cicuta bulbifera L. In the canal at Great Falls. 338. Scandix pecten veneris L. Seabrook, Md. Walter H. Evans. 349. Aralia spinosa L. Along the Walker road between Camp Spring P. O. and Surattsville. 351. Aralia nudicaulis L. Woods near Surattsville. 12 Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 35 ia. Aralia quinquefolia Decne. & Planch. Several fruiting specimens were found in a ravine near the mouth of Scott's Run, Va., first week of July, 1898. *356a. Cornus circinata 1'Her. Dodge's Mill. Conant, 1883. Reported by Dr. Walter H. Evans. 385. Fedia Fagopyrum Torr. & Gr. Low thickets at Sandy Landing. 386. Fedia radiata Michx. Low thickets at Marshall Hall. 387. Dipsacus sylvestris Mill. Great Falls, Md. 39 1 a. Eupatorium altissimum L. Terra Cotta swamp. *39i&. Eupatorium linearifolium Michx. Woods near Marshall Hall. E. L. Greene. 399. Eupatorium ageratoides L. A form with cordate leaves and very large, open inflorescence occurs in the woods near Seven Locks and High Island. 402. Mikania scandens L. Along a creek near Highland; near Arlington; near Seven Locks. 414^. Solidago racemosa Greene. On the rocks at Great Falls, Md. 426. Sericocarpus solidagineus Xees. Fort Totten; along Bates' road. 450. Diplopappus umbellatus Torr. & Gr. Terra Cotta swamp; near Riggs' Mill. 457. Pluchea camphorata D. C. Still to be found at Marshall Hall, in open places in the woods. 458. Filago Qermanica L. Pastures near Marshall Hall. 459&. Antennaria neglecta Greene. Very common in moist meadow lands, and has been collected in num erous places between Marshall Hall and Great Falls. *459^. Antennaria alsinoides Greene. Rather rare. Sand hills near Terra Cotta. E. L. Greene. Bunker Hill; Forest Glen; Great Falls, Md.; Marshall Hall. Only the pistillate plant is known of this species. 459d. Antennaria decipiens Greene. Common in pine woods and Andropogon fields. Collected in many places between Washington and Great Falls. 459^. Antennaria fallax Greene. 459/. Antennaria arnoglossa Greene. These two species grow mostly together in dry woodlands, and pistil late plants have been found in many places between Washington and Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 13 Great Falls. The staminate plants appear to be rare, those of A. fallax being recorded only from Brookland, Terra Cotta and Forest Glen, while the male plant of A. arnoglossa has been found on Bunker Hill and at Sandy Landing. 461. Gnaphalium uliginosum L. Old river bottom near Hyattsville; wet places in the woods at Marshall Hall. 473. Eclipta procumbens Michx. Common along the canal at Great Falls; swamp near Marshall Hall; on the Potomac shore near Aqueduct bridge, Virginia side; Brookland. 475. Rudbeckia triloba L. On the river shore at Seven locks; woods near Great Falls, Md.; Chevy Chase. 479. Helianthus angustifolius L. Swamp between Nork and Fort Myer. 492. Coreopsis tripteris L. Rocks at Great Falls, Md. ; woods at Seven locks. *462. Coreopsis bidentoides Xutt. In the canal near Sandy Landing. 4 94 a. Bidens connata Muhl. Old river bottom near Hyattsville; not uncommon in swamps around Eckington and Brookland with the var. comosa Gr. *494&. Bidens vulgata Greene. Near Terra Cotta. E. L. Greene. Several places in Brookland and near Eckington. *4$6b. Bidens lugens Greene. River bottom near Marshall Hall; abundant in swamps near Anacostia. E. L. Greene. 497#. Qalinsoga parviflora Cavan. Eckington near R street. 5O2c. Artemisia vulgaris L. A single specimen was found in a dry field near Hyattsville. 503. Arnica nudicaulis Ell. Woods between Eckington and Michigan avenue. E. L. Greene. Forest Glen. *526. Taraxacum corniculatum Kit. (T. erythroxpermum Andrz.). In sandy or gravelly soil, not uncommon in woods near Soldiers' Home; it occurs also in lawns, Brookland and Catholic University. *536a. Sonchus arvensis L. Lawns at Catholic University. *536&. Leontodon antumnalis L. With the preceding. 551. Qaultheria procumbens L. Wooded hill-sides at Sligo avenue and Rappley road near Takoma. 14 Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington . 558. Rhododendron viscosum Torr., var. glaucum Gr. 559. Rhododendron vicosum Torr. var. nitidum Gr. Abundant in the woods near Porestville and Surattsville. 565. Pyrola chlorantha Sw. Pine woods near mouth of Scott's Run, Va. ; ravines at Sligo avenue. 570. Dodecatheon Meadia L. Glen Echo junction. 572. Steironema lanceolatum Gr. Ditch near Marshall Hall. 576. Lysimachia stricta Ait. Meadow near Hyattsville. 577. Lysimachia nummularia L. Along Harewood avenue near Soldiers' Home. 577. Centunculus minimus L. Old river bottom near Hyattsville, in fruit last week of June. 578. Anagallis arvensis L. Pastures near Marshall Hall; lawns at Catholic University. 5856. Apocynum medium Greene. River shore at Marshall Hall. E. L. Greene. 589. Asclepias rubra L. Deanwood swamp. Thos. H. Kearney, Jr. 596. Asclepias quadrifolia Jacq. Near Fort Totten. E. L. Greene. *6oib. Polypremum procumbens L. A single specimen was found on the road-side in the woods near Mar shall Hall. E. L. Greene. In fruit second week of August. 606. Bartania tenella Muhl. Deanwood swamp. Thos. H. Kearney, Jr. 6i4. Hydrophyllum Canadense L. Ravine noar mouth of Scott's run, Va.; damp, shaded places among rooks near Sandy Landing. 615. Ellisla Nyctelea L. Abundant along the tow-path near Great Falls. 634. Iponiaea lacunosa L. Arlington estate; on rocks at Great Falls, Md. 636. Convolvulus sepium L. var. Americanus Sims. Low grounds on Bunker-hill road. 637. Convolvulus arvensis L. Vacant lots on First street near N. Y. avenue; Navy Yard. 646. Lycium vulgare Dun. Along the road near Henson's Creek. 653. Linaria Elatine Mill. Grassy slopes at Marshall Hall; along Brentwood road near Brookland. Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 15 654. Scrophularia nodosa L. Along the tow-path near Great Falls; ditch near Hyattsville; Marshall Hall. 663. Hysanthes gratioloides Benth. Not common; old river bottom near Hyattsville; swamp near Hen- son's Creek. *663#. Hysanthes attenuata (Muhl.) Small. Common along creeks. 667. Veronica scutellata L. Muddy creek bottom near Marshall Hall. 669^. Veronica agrestis L. Lawns of the Catholic University. *699&. Veronica Chamaedrys L. Near Soldiers' Home. 672. Buchnera Americana L. Club-house woods near Great Falls, Md. *677. Qerardia decemloba Greene. Low grounds in Brookland near Bunker Hill; swamp near the Reform School; in bloom second week of September. *677^. Qerardia Holmiana Greene. Wooded banks along Michigan avenue, opposite Soldiers' Home grounds; Brookland; Terra Cotta; in bloom second week of October. *68o. Melampyrum latifolium Muhl. In sandy soil in woods near Riggs' Mill. 680. Melampyrum Americanum Michx. Ravines near Sligo avenue and Rappley road near Takoma. *686. Utricularia subulata L. Swamps in the woods near Surattsville. G. W. Oliver. In flower first week of September. 712. Pycnanthemum lanceolatum Pursh. Terra Cotta. *723. Monarda clinopodia L. Ravine near mouth of Scott's Run, Va. In flower first week of July. 732. Scutellaria parvula Michx. Woods at northeast corner of Soldier's Home grounds; near Marshall Hall. 738^. Lamium purpureum L. Capitol grounds. E. L. Greene. 745. Plantago Patagonica Jacq. var. aristata Gray. Common near Hyattsville and many other places in the District. *748rt, Amaranthus chlorostachys Willd. Near the Navy Yard, with flowers second week of July. 749. Amaranthus albus L. Along the railroad track near University Station; gardens in Brook- land. 16 Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 768. Polygonum hydropiperoides Michx. Old creek-bottom near Marshall Hall. *778. Polygonum cristatum Engelm. Rocks near Great Falls, Md.; thickets near Hyattsville; common near Seven Locks. With flower and fruit third week of September. 788. Aristolochia Serpentaria L. Abundant in ravines near Marshall Hall; ravines at Sligo avenue and Rappley road near Takoma. 796^. Euphorbia hirsuta Wieg. Rocks at Great Falls, Md.; woods near Marshall Hall. 800. Euphorbia commutata Eng. Common in rocky woods from Sandy Landing to Great Falls. 801. Phyllanthus Carolinensis Walt. Old river bottom near Hyattsville; not uncommon in the woods at Great Falls, Md. ; woods near Marshall Hall. 812. Urtica dioica L. Not common. Along the tow-path near Great Falls. 830. Corylus Americana Walt. Abundant near Sligo; South Brookland near the railroad track. 849. Quercus heterophylla Michx. Several trees, but all sterile, were found in the woods at Marshall Hall. 901. Habenaria tridentata Hook. Woods near Great Falls, Md.; very abundant in swamps near Suratts- ville. 903. Habenaria ciliaris R. Br. Swamp near Bladensburg turnpike, south of the Reform School. G. W. Oliver. 904. Habenaria lacera R. Br. Swamp near the Reform School; several places in Brookland; Terra Cotta swamp; swamps near Marshall Hall. 909. Spiranthes gracilis Big. Woods along Scott's Run, Va. 910. Spiranthes simplex Gr. Woods near Great Falls, Md.; Terra Cotta; Brookland. 912. Pogonia verticillata Nutt. Swamp near Bladensburg. Thos. H. Kearney, Jr. Abundant on the sand hills around Fort Totten; damp woods near the Reform School; swamps near Surrattsville. 913. Calopogon pulchellus R. Br. Deanwood swamp. Thos. H. Kearney, Jr. Swamp near Surattsville. 915. Microstylis ophioglossoides Nutt. Woods near Marshall Hall: woods near Great Falls, Md. Additions to the Flora of Washington. 17 925. Aletris farinosa L. Fort Totten. E. L. Greene. Very common in the open woods south of the Reform School. 939. Allium tricoccum Ait. Rocks at Great Falls, Md. 947. Majanthemum Canadanse Dasf. Near the Reform School. G. W. Oliver. Abundant in the woods at Surattsville. 957. Veratrum viride Ait. Woods near Surattsville. 962. Muscari botryoides Mill. Racks at Sandy Landing. 970. Juncus bufonius L. Apparently not rare and found in several places; near Kenilworth: Bladensburg; Highland; Riggs' Mill; Takoma; Brookland; Marshall Hall. 982. Commelina hirtella Yahl. River shore at Marshall Hall; Four Mile Run. 982^. Commelina Virginica L. Rocks at Great Falls, Md. 985. Xyris flexuosa Muhl. Swamp south of the Reform School; the Lydecker basin. 986. Eriocaulon decangulare L. Swamps near Surattsville. 986?. Cyperus flavescens L. Evidently common and found in many places, for instance: Terra Gotta swamp; along creeks on Bunker Hill road; at a spring on Arling ton estate; abundant in swamp between Nork and Fort Myer; near Alexandria. 987. Cyperus diandrus Torr. The specimens recorded in Professor Ward's List do not belong to this species, but to C. rwularis Kunth. *987. Cyperus rivularis Kth. var. eluta Clarke. With the type and equally common. 990. Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl. At a spring on Arlington estate; swamp near Marshall Hall. 991. Cyperus calcaratus Nees. Swamps near the canal at Great Falls. 999. Kyllinga pumila Michx. Several places near Marshall Hall, in the woods. 1000. Fuirena squarrosa Michx. Abundant in the Lydecker basin. ioo3. Eleocharis olivacea Torr. The Lydecker basin. 18 Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 10040. Eleocharis intermedia Schult, Wet places along Rappley road near Takoma; exceedingly common in swamps near Marshall Hall. 1007. Scirpus planifolius Muhl. Common on the sand hills around Fort Totten; Forest Glen. 1010. Scirpus debilis Pursh. Along Bunker Hill road. *ioi8a. Fimbristylis laxa Vahl. Abundant in low meadow-land near Hyattsville. In flower second week of August. 1019. Fimbristylis capillaris Gr. On dry rocks at Great Falls, Md. 1 01 pa. Rynchospora fusca R. & S. Swamp between Nork and Fort Myer. *iO2o. Rynchospora gracilenta Gr. Swamps near Surattsville. *iO2o&. Rynchospora cymosa Ell. Swamps south of the Reform School. iO2i. Rynchospora cephalantha Gr. Along Queen's Chapel road; Lydecker basin; Arlington estate; Terra Cotta swamp. 10216. Rynchospora macrostachya Torr. Swamp in the woods at Marshall Hall. 1024. Scleria pauciflora Muhl. Swamp south of the Reform School. iO24. Scleria reticularis Michx. Deanwood swamp. Thos. H. Kearney, Jr. Swamp between Nork and Fort Myer; near Surattsville. 1026. Carex Willdenovii Schk. Common in the woods at Marshall Hall; Sandy Landing; Great Falls, Md. 1027. Carex Steudelii Kth. Sandy Landing; Great Falls, Md. 1035^. Carex Muhlenbergii Schk. var. enervis Boott. In dry, sandy soil near Terra Cotta; dry fields at Marshall Hall. *iO38rt. Carex stellulata L. var. cephalantha Bail. Terra Cotta swamp. 1051. Carex Shortiana Dew. Near the river shore at Marshall Hall. 1054. Carex granularis Muhl. Not common. Along the canal at Great Falls. 1055. Carex glaucodea Port. Near Hyattsville; Fort Totten; very common in the woods at Marshall Hall. Addition* t<> tin- Flow of Washington. 19 ios8'/. Eatonia Dudleyi Vasey. In woods at Scott's run, Va. ; Sandy Landing. 1129. Olyceria laxa Scribner. Still abundant in the Terra Cotta swamp (Aug., 1900). 20 Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 1130. Qlyceria fluitans R. Br.' Ditch near Hyattsville. *H3oa. Qlyceria obtusa Trin. Damp places in the woods near Surattsville. N 1139. Eragrostis reptans Nees. Along the tow-path at Great Falls; wet places along the roads in the woods at Marshall Hall. 1140. Eragrostis minor Host. (E. poceoides Beauv.) Along the railroad track near University Station; along the tow-path at Seven locks. 1142. Eragrostis Frankii Mey. Along the tow-path near Great Falls; in the woods near Marshall Hall; vacant lots in Brookland. 1143. Eragrostis Purshii Schrad. Roadsides in Brookland; near Highland; Hyattsville; very common near Great Falls; near Cabin John Bridge. 1146. Festuca Myurus L. Woods south of the Reform School; along the railroad track at La- mond station. 1156. Bromus sterilis L. Brookland; New York avenue near Eckington. 1158. Uniola gracilis Michx. Arlington estate; Takoma. n66. Danthonia sericea Nutt. Many specimens were collected along the electric railroad track near Highland. 1169. Aira caryophyllea L. Common along the road between Chain Bridge and Scott's Run, Ya.; in dry fields near Surattsville; near the Reform School. 1178. Panicum agrostoides Spreng. Swamp near Marshall Hall. ^*ii8oZ>. Panicum Philadelphicum Bernh. (P. capillare L. var. flexile Gatt.) Along Rappley road near Glen Sligo. In flower first week of October. n83. Panicum commutatum Sclmlt. Soldiers' Home grounds; Forest Glen; High Island; Sandy Landing; Takoma. 1185. Panicum microcarpon Muhl. Evidently common in open woods, and has been collected in several places between Washington and Great Falls on the Maryland side. 1187. Panicum laxiflorum Lam. (P. pauciflorum Ell. in Prof. Ward's list.) The commonest species of Panicum in the woods at Great Falls, Md. Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. 21 1187*7. Panicum sphaerocarpon Ell. Woods near Riggs' Mill; Terra Cotta swamp; Chevy Chase; dry fields near Hyattsville and the Reform School. u88a. Panicum ramulosum Michx. Terra Cotta swamp. n88&. Panicum nitidum Lam. Old river bottom near Hyattsville; Terra Cotta swamp. uSSc. Panicum lanuginosum Ell. Woods at Forest Glen; Fort Totten. *i 189*2. Panicum linearifolium Scribn. Plummer's Island. Thos. H. Kearney, Jr. 1192. Panicum Crus-galli L. var. hispidum Gr. In the canal at Great Falls. 1196. Cenchrus tribuloides L. Near Seven locks: along roads at Marshall Hall. 1203. Andropogon macrourus Michx. Sphagnum swamps near Surattsville. 1 220. Woodwardia Virginica Sm. Common near Surattsville. Wm. R. Maxon. *i222. Asplenium pinnatifidum Nutt. Two miles below Scott's Run on Virginia shore of Potomac. Wm. Palmer and Wm. R. Maxon. *i222i. Asplenium ebenosdes R. R. Scott. Plummer's Island. Wm. Palmer. A single specimen. 1223. Asplenium angustifolium Michx. Ravines between Marshall Hall and the Piscataway; western end of Massachusetts avenue bridge and Rock Creek. Wm. Palmer. Abund ant along brooks in woodlands of the Potomac bluffs near Langley, Va. Wm. R. Maxon. 1226. Camptosorus rhizophyllus Link. Plummer's Island. D. LeRoy Topping. Several situations on rocky cliffs of the Virginia shore of the Potomac opposite Langley. Wm. R. Maxon. 1230. Aspidium cristatum Swtz. In the Lygodium swamp about two miles to the northwest of River- dale, Md. Wm. Palmer and Wm. R. Maxon. Woods near Great Falls, Md. ; near the spring-house, Takoma. 1236. Cystopteris fragilis Bernh. Common in ravines north of Marshall Hall; Potomac Landing, Alex andria County, Va. Wm. Palmer. Near Sandy Landing. *i236. Cystopteris bulbifera (L.) Bernh. On the Virginia shore of Potomac nearly opposite Langley, Va. Wm. Palmer and Wm. R. Maxon. Recorded in Flora Columbiana, Field and Forest, Vol. I, 1875, but with no locality. 22 Holm Additions to the Flora of Washington. Onoclea Struthiopteris (L.) Hoffm. Frequent along the alluvial portions of the Potomac on the Virginia side one to two miles above Cabin Johns. Several collectors. 1242. Osmunda Clay toniana L. Between West Chevy Chase and Glen Echo Junction. Wm. R. Maxon. 1245. Botrychium ternatum Swtz. var. dissectum Milde. Woods near Great Falls, Md. 1247. Ophioglossum vulgatum L. Grassy roadside bank, Upper Marlboro, Md. Wm. R. Maxon. Woods at Marshall Hall; at the foot of Fort Totten. 1248. Lycopodium lucidulum Michx. In dry woods near Cleveland Park. Wm. R. Maxon and C. L. Pol lard. Ravines near Marshall Hall. 1249. Lycopodium dendroideum Michx. Woods near Surattsville. 1253. Selaginella apus Spring. Has been found in many places between Marshall Hall and Great Falls, Md., and is evidently not uncommon. VOL. XIV, PP. 23-25 APRIL 2, 1901 PROCEEDINGS or THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON GENERAL NOTES. The subgenus Rhinosciurus of Trouessart.* In the 'Catalogus Mammalium' (p. 410) Trouessart unites the Sciurus laticaudatus of Miiller and Schlegel and the 8. davidianus of A. Milne- Edwards to form the subgenus Rhinosciurus\ placed at the end of the genus Xerus. Material in the United States National Museum shows that the two species are not congeneric, and that neither is closely re lated to Xerus. The genus Rhinosciurus (type R. tupaioides Blyth^:) is strikingly characterized by its greatly elongated, cylindric, Tupaia-like skull and small, slender incisors. The lower incisors are set more nearly in line with the mandibular ramus than in other squirrels, and the upper incisors are so small that in a skull 50 mm. in basal length they scarcely equal those in a skull of Sciuropterus volans only 27 mm. long. The 'Xerus' davidianus on the other hand has a skull practically identical with that of the Chinese Eutamias senescens, though much larger. In deed the agreement with Eutamias in both cranial and dental characters appears to be complete. Externally, however, the animal resembles Sciurus in its well-haired, bushy tail and in the absence of stripes on the body. It also diverges from Eutamias in the direction of Sciurus in the reduction of the capacity of the cheek pouches. As the animal can therefore be properly referred to none of the recognized groups it may be made the type of a new genus Sciurotamias. Gerrit 8. Miller, Jr. ^Published here by permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. fFirst used by Gray in 1843 (List Mamm. Brit. Mus. p. 195) for a genus with B. tupaioides from Singapore as the type. Both generic and specific names are nomina nuda and must date from their earliest definition. The former was properly published by Gray in 1867 (Am. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser. XX, p. 286), the latter by Blyth in 1855 (Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, XXIV, p. 477) as 8c\iurus] tupaioides, type locality Malacca. JThe relationship of this animal to the Bornean Rhinosciurus laticau datus given by Thomas (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1807, p. 933) as type of the subgenus is not fully understood. 3 BIOL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (23) 24 General Notes. On the name Vespertilio blossevillii. In a recent note on the systematic name of the Cuban Red Bat, Dr. .1. A. Allen falls into a very natural error in assuming that the "abstract" in Ferussac's Bulletin, entitled "Mammiferes nouveaux ou peu connus decrits et figures dans 1' Atlas zoologique du Voyage autour du monde de la corvette la Coquille, " etc., was published after the appearance of the Zoology of the 'Coquille'. As a matter of fact, the Zoology of the voyage of the 'Coquille' appeared inlivraisons, beginning with October, 1826; and tome I, pt. I, while dated "1826", was really published between 1826 and 1828, the preface actually bearing the date January, 1828. No descrip tive matter appeared before 1827, but plates were issued with the sepa rate parts, and the names on them will stand, except in those cases where an earlier description occurs in Ferussac's Bulletin. In the case of Vespertilio blostevillii, the name dates from Ferussac's Bulletin, VIII (not XIII, as misprinted in the note above mentioned), May, 1826, p. 95, while the earliest reference to Vespertilio bonariensis is plate II, fig. 1, Zool. "Coquille," which appeared in livr. 3 of that work, published in April, 1827. It will be plain, from the above, that Laxiurux bloxxevillii; and not L. bonarienxis is the correct name of the Uruguayan species. Chat. W. Richmond. The name of the Aard-Vark. In advocating the name Orycteropus afra (Pall.) for the Aard-Vark (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XIII, p. 166) Mr. Rehn has omitted to notice (1) that afra is the feminine of a declinable adjective, and that the mas culine, in agreement with Orycteropus, should be afer, and (2) that the. combination Orycteropux afer has already been occasionally used in Zool ogy, e. g. P. Roy. Soc. XL VII, p. 246 (1890), and P. Z. S., 1897, p. 939. In neglect of the first point, 0. afra has also been used by Flower and Lydekker (Mamm. p. 211, 1891). Oldfield Thomas. The name of the Ogotona. Mr. Rehn has changed into i\ Pallas' first u in Lepux dauurtcus. As the name comes from the country of the Dauurien (as Pallas calls them) the letter is clearly not a v printed as a u, as is often the case in old works. In addition, the generic name having a feminine termination, the adjectival specific name should also be feminine. The proper name should therefore be, not Mr. Rehn's "Ochotona davuririm" but Ochoto- na dauurica. Oldfield Thomax. General Notes. 25 The name of the Viscacha. In suggesting the name Viscaccica (Brandis, 1786, ex Molina) for "the Viscacha" Mr. Rehn has confused two perfectly different animals. Molina's "Viscaccia" is the Chilian Lagidium, while the Viscacha of modern writers is the Argentine Lagostomus (using for the moment the best known names for each). Furthermore, there is no need to drag in the translator Brandis, as in the 1782 edition of his Saggio, (p. 307) Mol ina himself properly describes and names "La Viscaccia, Lepus Vis- cacia" by which term he clearly means the Lagidium of Chili. Lagidium viscacia Mol. \sprobably the proper name for the latter ani mal, but the question is so intricate, partly owing to the confused use of the two names Viscacha and Chinchilla for members of the three genera Lagostomus, Lagidium and Chinchilla, and partly in the doubt as to what animal the name Callomys Goff. will be applied to by eliminators and others, that I do not like to risk making confusion worse confounded by definitely asserting its validity. The pertinence of the generic name "Vizcacia" to the Argentine Vis cacha has been shown by Mr. Palmer (Science, N. S., VI, p. 21, 1897), though owing to the doubt* as to the date of its publication in Schinz's Naturgeschichte, the following reference may be taken as the first: Viscaccia, Schinz, Cuvier's Thierreich IV, p. 429 (1825). The difference in the spelling should be noted. Curiously enough as a foretaste of the eternal Chili-Argentine confu sion, Schinz heads the reference "Viscaccia Molina," but his enumera tion of the digits, 4-3, and his measurements (taken from Azara) of V. americana^ are clearly diagnostic of the Argentine animal. Oldfield Thoma*. A correction of Vernonia gigantea pubescens. Through a misapprehension of the case the subspecies pubescens was referred (Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 13: 179, October, 1900) to Vernonia gigantea of the Atlantic seaboard, which dees not occur in the Alleghenies or west ward. The species so common throughout the latter range is V. maxima Small (Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 27: 280, May, 1900). Hence the name of the subspecies collected near Baileysville, West Virginia, is Vernonia maxima pubescens. E. L. Morris, Dept. Biol., Washington High Schools. *Probably not published before 1825 or 1826 (Palmer). VOL. XIV, PP. 27-28 APRIL 2, 1901 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON A NEW SPINY RAT FROM LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA. BY OLDFIELD THOMAS. A spiny rat collected at La Guaira, Venezuela, by Messrs. Wirt Robinson and M. W. Lyon, Jr. and submitted to me for determination proves to differ from the previously described species. It may be known as: Proechimys guairae, sp. n. Allied to P. trinitatix, but less richly rufous in color. Size rather less than in P. trinitatis. Spines evenly mixed with the dorsal hair, and of about the same prominence on the back; an average spine measures 23 mm. in length by about two-thirds of a millimeter in breadth. General color above much paler than in the allied species, more similar to that of the Ecuadorean P. decumanus Thos. ; pale rufous heavily lined on the back with the black tips to the spines, laterally clearer but still rufous, the hairs indistinctly annulated with brown. Face greyer than back. Fine hairs of ear black, some longer black hairs at its base anteriorly. Under surface white, pure on the chest and belly, buffy on the throat and along a narrow indistinctly defined line edging the color of the flanks. Upper surface of hands and feet white, indistinctly browner along the outer edge of the metapodials. Tail well haired, black above and white below. Skull very like that of the smaller mainland form of P. trinitatis (P. urirhi Allen), but more heavily built and without the peculiar slender- ness of muzzle that characterizes that animal. Supraorbital ridges heav- 4 BIOL. soo> WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (27) 28 Thomas A New Spiny Rat from Venezuela. ily developed, but abruptly ceasing at the fronto-parietal suture, the parietal itself being quite smooth. Pterygoid processes broadly spatulate. Palatal foramina large, the posterior ends continued backward as two gutters on to the front of the palate. Bullte small, their antero-posterior length measured laterally into the angle formed by the paroccipital pro cess, only 9.4 mm. Dimensions of the type measured in the flesh: Head and body, 240; tail, 190; hind foot, s. u. 45, c. u. 48. Skull, greatest length, 56; basilar length, 39.2; zygomatic breadth, 27; nasals, length, 20.4; breadth of muzzle at fronto-premaxillary suture, 10; inteorbital breadth, 13.1; breadth on ridges above squamosals, 19.3; interparietal, 8.5 x 13.7; diastema, 12; palate from henselion, 19: palatel foramina, 7.5 x 3.7; length of upper tooth series, 8.7. Hob. La Guaira, Venezuela. Type. Male. U. S. N. M., No. 102,731. Original number 81. Col lected 8th July, 1900 by Messrs. Lyon and Robinson. A paratype in British Museum, No. 1.1.5.3, presented by the United States National Museum. This species is evidently closely allied to P. trinitati* and its conti nental representatives of P. uricki and P. m.inca>. It differs from all three by its much paler color, and from the first and second by its nearly white feet. From P.-eentralis and allies it is also separated by the absence of pa rietal ridges, in which respect it approaches the Peruvian P. simonsi. The paratype is rather more brown and less rufous than the type, sug gesting a specimen in a rather more youthful state of pelage. VOL. XIV, PP. 29-32 APRIL 5, 1901 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON TWO NEW BIGHORNS AND A NEW ANTELOPE FROM MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES. BY C. HART MERRIAM. In the course of field work in Mexico in 1899, Mr. E. W. Nelson, a field naturalist of the U. S. Biological Survey, and his able assistant Mr. E. A. Goldman, secured a series of eight Mountain Sheep or Bighorns in the barren desert mountains about Lake Santa Maria, Chihuahua. Comparison of these specimens with their nearest allies, Ovis nelsoni and O. cana- c/ensis*, shows that they differ specifically from either. The new species may be known as follows: *The type locality of the northern Bighorn, Oms canadensis Shaw, is the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. The Biological Survey has secured topotype material from this region (collected by J. Alden Loring) which has been used in the comparisons on which the present paper is based. Respecting the priority of the name canadensis Shaw (1803), over cervina Desmarest (1804), it may be stated that both Bolton (Cat. Sci. Periodi cals, p. 624, 1885) and Sherborn (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 6th Ser. XV, pp. 375-376, 1895) after independent investigation agree that Shaw's name canadensis was published in 1803, while no one ever claimed that Desma- rest's name cervina appeared before 1804. In the winter of 1890, when preparing my report on the Mammals of Idaho, and unaware of Bolton's determination of the date, I looked into the matter with some thorough ness and adopted the name canadensis as of unquestionable priority (N. Am. Fauna, No. 5, p. 81, 1891). 5 BroL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (29) 30 Merriam Two New J3ig horns and a New Antelope. Ovis mexicanus sp. nov. Type from Lake Santa Maria, Chihuahua. No. 99,342 j 1 ad. U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Collected Sept. 16, 1899 by E. W. Nelson and E. A. Goldman. Grig. No. 13,974. Characters. Size large; color dark, much darker than nelsoni but less dark than canadensis; horns large; massive, dark, not strongly out- curved; hoofs and molars larger than in 0. canadensis; ears long and large, nearly double the size of those of canadensis. measuring from occiput, in dry skin, 110-116 mm.; tail long and slender, measuring about 130 mm. Color pattern similar to that of canadensis. Color. Body color above and below drab brown, darkest on throat,, legs, and tail; no trace of dorsal stripe; muzzle decidedly paler than rest of face; rump patch broader and more squarely truncate anteriorly than in canadensis; dark color on hind leg covering much more of inner side of thigh than in canadensis; but much less of lower leg, the white spreading broadly over the posterior and inner aspects, and on the inner side ending abruptly just above the calcaneal joint; whitish of chin broader and less sharply denned. Cranial characters. Skull as a whole large and massive. Compared with canadensis, orbits less prominent; f rentals natter (less 'dished' in forehead); basioccipital narrow, its sides nearly parallel, its muscular facets small and median sulcus broad; occiput (viewed from behind) much narrower; depth of face (above molars) less; permaxillce longer, more slender, and reaching much farther back; jugal relatively small and less expanded anteriorly; lachrymal long, reaching well out toward premaxilla; paroccipital narrower and more slender; lips of posterior nares (behind hamulars) thin and somewhat everted [in canadensis thickened and much swollen} ; angle of mandible obsolete; coronoid process lower and less expanded. Molar teeth larger. Horn cores longer, with longer curve and less flaring base. Horns. Large and heavy, but longer and less massive than those of canadensis; upper (flat) side narrower; base less flaring; orbital corner shortly rounded off (not produced). Measurements. Type specimen, $ ad.: Total length 1530; tail verte brae 130; hind foot 425; height at shoulder 900. An ad. $ from type locality: total length 1490; tail vertebrae 130; hind foot 405; height at shoulder 880. In examining a number of skulls of the Bighorn in the col lection of the U. S. National Museum it is found that those from the Plains region of the western Dakotas and eastern Montana differ in important characters from those from the Rocky Mountains in Montana and Alberta. These differences appear to be constant and necessitate the recognition of the Plains animal as a subspecies of Ovis canadensis. The chief differences are the great size of the molar teeth and the massive- Merrium Two New Bighorns