CATALOGUE OF VERTEBRATES. 507 



Family LEPORIDJE. 



Rabbits. 



LEPUS, L. 



L. americanus, Erxl. Northern Hare. White Rabbit. 



Large size ; hind feet longer than head ; ears about equal in 

 length to head ; fur brown in summer, white in winter (at the 

 tip of hairs). Lives in woods. Perhaps occurs in the northern 

 counties. 



L. sylvaticus, Bach. Rabbit. Gray Rabbit. 



Size small ; hind feet not longer than head ; ears of head ; 

 color grayish, tinged with brown and black, white below. More 

 southern than the preceding. It does not change to lighter color 

 in winter. 



"Abundant throughout the State. During the summer the 

 majority of the rabbits remain in the woods and swamps and 

 move about but little. The does have two litters in a year, the 

 first dropped in May and the second in August. The nest is 

 variously placed, and frequently is so exposed that not only the 

 old fall victims to hawks, but the young to prowling mammals. 

 Very frequently pigs come across the nests, and eagerly devour 

 the occupants. Rabbits are quite tame during the latter part of 

 the summer, and are found frequently in gardens ; but later in 

 the season they seem to know they are more prized by mankind, 

 and they become wilder and seek less frequented localities. They 

 are easily trapped by baiting a ' figure- of- four ' box-trap with 

 apple, especially during the winter, when the snow is over their 

 favorite food. Rabbits frequently do serious mischief by gnaw- 

 ing the bark of young fruit trees, very generally killing the 

 trees. During heavy snows rabbits make for themselves slight 

 burrows and protect them overhead by overarching the grass. In 

 this way they secure for themselves a comfortable little cave dur- 

 ing the storm and while the snow lasts. They seem to be able 

 to go a long time without food. Though very lively when dis- 

 turbed during the day, rabbits are really nocturnal." 



