The Ely miner., 1901-05-17
EXTRAORDINARY CREATURE.
New Species of Rabbit Discovered ON
4 the Heights of Mount
POpOcatepetl

An extraordinary species of rabbit
has been found high up on Mount
Popocatepetl, Mexico, at and above
an altitude of 5000 meters (approxi-
mately 10000 feet). This singular
animal has exceedingly short hind
legs, and instead of moving by
series of leaps like ordinary rabbits,
runs along on all fours and lives in
runaways in the grass like the
meadow mice, says the Washington
Times.
Mr.. E. w. Nelson, who discovered
this new species in the world of
mammals, says: "On my first visit to
Mount Popocatepetl I learned that
these little rabbits were found there,
and on my return to the City of Mex
leo, I prepared for an expedition to
secure them. On January 5, 1894, my
assistant, Mr.. E. A. Goldman, and
made our camp on the side of canyon
at an altitude of about $500 meters
(11,0O0 feet) on the northwest slope
of the mountain. We were accom-
panied by three Indian hunters and
our packer. Among the frs and al
ders at this altitude the northerly
slopes of the hills and canyons are COW
cred with a luxuriant growth of succa-
ton grass in huge punches, from three
to six feet across, and often reaching
height of six or eight feet. This
covers the ground in such a manner
that the only open spaces are small
spots scattered irregularly here and
there. A search under the overhang-
ing masses of long grass blades
showed perfect network of large
runways tunneling through the bases
of the tussocks, and passing from one
to another under the shelter of the
outcurving masses of leaves.
'It was evident that the rabbits were
very numerous here, and we all pro-
ceeded to hunt the vicinity carefully
for them. Upon the first day of this
able to get shot at them. One came
running through the grass along one
of the hidden trails and seeing me
stopped in a little opening seven or
eight feet away. 1t was too near to
shoot, and so it escaped after looking
at me with inquiring eyes for few
moments. The following evening I
shot one by taking stand on large
log, whence 1 could see several small
openings in the grass, and saw one as
it stopped a moment at the entrance
of runway. By persistent hunting
for three days my Indians secured
three more.
son the first night snares were set
without success, so the next night we
put out lot of steel traps in the
runways. This latter method was
very successful, and three fine speci-
mems were taken in a small area a
few yards across. So far as observed,
these animals are strictly limited to
the heavy growth of succaton grass,
H. 900 feet. I found them equally nu-
merous in the heavy grass on canyon
slopes and hillsides and in the dense
growth of grass about the sides of the
small park like openings in the for
est. They make their forms within
the matted bases of the huge grass
tussocks by tunneling passageways
along the surface of the ground,
through the mass of old grass, leaves
and stems, and then following out
snug retreats within the weather.
proof shelters thus obtained. Their
concealed runways were intermingled
with those of the common meadow
mice of the mountains, and the strik-
ing resemblance in coloration and
habits between the two animals were
remarkable. Like the arvicolas, the
rabbits are mainly nocturnal, but are
found occasionally moving about by
day. They become more active just
at dusk, and on frosty mornings some
times come out at sunrise into the
small openings among the grass to
bask in the warmth. My Indian hunt
ers claimed that they often found
them out summing themselves in this
way on summer afternoons after cold,
heavy showers"
Prof Miller, assistant chief of the
department of mammals at the Smith
sonian Institution, in commenting on
the discovery, said:
''This is the most extraordinary va
riety of rabbit that has ever come un-
der my notice. 1t is very small, and.
in fact, resembles in some respects a
rat, notably in it's methods of going
over the ground. I may remark that
ordinarily, the finding of new kind
of rabbit is not, in itself, eXtraordi-
nary. 1 am constantly in receipt of
specimens of varieties hitherto un-
classified, although their difference
from the well-known kinds may be
very slight. I got the other day a
so-called horned rabbit which was
sent me as monstrosity. Of course,
the horns are nothing more than the
effect of a disease of the skin, occur
ring sometimes, though rarely, in the
human species. These horns are ac-
tually what their name implies, being
growth of hair (Which is nothing
more than horny fused into a thick
and solid mass, Such an appearance
produces often most grotesque ef-
feet, as in the rabbit have alluded
to; but it does not imply new va
riety of species"
He Wanted Information.
A man was being tried in New