There was sign of jack rabbits along the desert slope of the San
Gabriels up to about 6700 feet, one-half mile west of Big Pines. They
were fairly common in the Joshua tree belt, occurred less commonly in
the juniper belt, and were present locally in small numbers in the
pinyon-juniper association.
The population seemed to be at a low ebb from 1948 to 1952, when field
work was done on the desert slope. I often hiked for an hour or more on
the desert or juniper-covered benches without seeing a jack rabbit. The
species was commoner in washes where as many as eleven were noted in two
hours' hiking.
In December, 1951, below Graham Canyon, the leaves on large areas of
many nearly recumbent Joshua trees had been gnawed down to their bases,
and jack rabbit feces covered the ground next to these gnawings.
Probably the Joshua tree is an emergency food used by the rabbits only
when other food is scarce.
In years when the population of jack rabbits is not low they serve as a
major food for coyotes. In the Joshua tree belt below Mescal Canyon,
jack rabbit remains were fairly common in coyote feces, and tracks
repeatedly showed where some coyote had pursued a jack rabbit for a
short distance. A large male bobcat trapped in the juniper belt in
Graham Canyon had deer hair and jack rabbit remains in its stomach.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 7, distributed as follows: Los
Angeles County: 6 mi. E and 1 mi. S Llano, 3500 ft., 4; Mescal
Canyon, 4800 ft., 3.
=Sylvilagus audubonii sanctidiegi= (Miller)