. Fig. 38. Distribution of Lepus califomicus in Colorado. 1. L. c. melanotis. 2. L. c. texianus. For explanation of symbols, see p. 9. the diet of black-tailed jackrabbits on sand- hills grassland in northern Washington County. For a brief review of food habits and the ecological importance of L. califomicus, see Hansen and Flinders (1969). Due to large local populations and a ten- dency to augment the degradation of poorly managed range, black-tailed jackrabbits have become serious agricultural pests in parts of eastern Colorado. In the 1890s, "Rabbit Days" were instituted at Lamar
. Fig. 38. Distribution of Lepus califomicus in Colorado. 1. L. c. melanotis. 2. L. c. texianus. For explanation of symbols, see p. 9. the diet of black-tailed jackrabbits on sand- hills grassland in northern Washington County. For a brief review of food habits and the ecological importance of L. califomicus, see Hansen and Flinders (1969). Due to large local populations and a ten- dency to augment the degradation of poorly managed range, black-tailed jackrabbits have become serious agricultural pests in parts of eastern Colorado. In the 1890s, "Rabbit Days" were instituted at Lamar and Las Animas. In December 1894, 101 hunters shot 5142 jack- rabbits in the vicinity of Lamar in one and one-half days (for comments and illustration, see Palmer, 1897:63 and pi. 6). According to Warren (1942:266), in the three years 1893 through 1895, 32,000 jackrabbits were killed in Las Animas and Prowers counties in organ- ized hunts. For additional remarks on the history of control measures in Colorado, see Palmer (1897), Rurnett and McCampbell (1926b), and Warren (1942). Lepus califomicus melanotis M earns Lepus melanotis Meams, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 2:297, 21 February 1890; type locality, near Independence, Montgomery Co., Kansas. Lepus califomicus melanotis, Nelson, N. Amer. Fauna, 29:146, 31 August 1909. Distribution in Colorado.—Plains of east- ern two-fifths of state (Fig. 38). Comparison.—From L. c. texianus, the subspecies of the southwestern part of the state, L. c. melanotis differs in brighter, more buffy (less grayish) color of upper parts, and smaller auditory bullae. Measurements.—External measurements of two males and two females from Larimer County are: 490, 570, 459, 580; 89, 79, 72, 65; 137, 123, 137, 130; 119, 125, 110, 119; weight, —, 3445, 4996, 2395. Cranial measurements are presented in table 7. Re marks.—Nelson (1909:145) noted that ". . along both sides of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado is a belt in which most of the [black-
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