100 Betrospective Criticism* 



sea, and swam rapidly over, in a straight line, to the opposite projecting 

 point of land. The observer on this occasion, who was near the spot, but 

 remained unperceived by the hares, had no doubt they were of different 

 sexes, and that it was the male (like another Leander) that swam across 

 the water, as he had probably done many times before. It was remarkable 

 that the hares remained on the shore near half an hour; one of them 

 occasionally examining, as it would seem, the state of the current, and ulti- 

 mately taking to the sea at that precise period of the tide called slack water, 

 when the passage across could be effected without being carried by the 

 force of the stream either above or below the desired point of landing. 

 The other hare then cantered back to the hills. — W, Yarrell. Ryder 

 Street y St. James's, Nov. 7. 1831. 



Hares taking the Water. — Sir, Your correspondent (Vol. IV. p. 274.) 

 deserves my thanks for his endeavour to set your readers right respecting the 

 Havergate hares, which, it seems, I have unintentionally defamed. Since I 

 last communicated with you, I have also seen the proprietor of the island ,• 

 and from what he then expressed, I confess that I did certainly " misunder- 

 stand " him in what he had previously told me. But on referring to the 

 notes which I made when I was on the island, I find that the steward asserted 

 that he had frequently seen hares swimming across S. V. W.'s formidable 

 barrier; and 1 perfectly recollect that a conversation took place on the 

 subject amongst the party who were then and there assembled ; at the com- 

 mencement of which I was almost as sceptical as your correspondent 

 (p. 274.). I am obliged to S. V. W. for his correction of my error 

 respecting the mode of colonisation of Havergate by hares : but as my letter 

 to you was intended to relate not an exception to, but an example of, the 

 habits of their race, the principal fact of the hares swimming across the 

 water in search of pasture, or what not, is still untouched ; and if only two 

 or three of the hares, which are in such abundance there (and Mr. Edwards 

 admitted, when I saw him last, that this might be the case), have been 

 found guilty of my charge against them, I suppose the judgment cannot be 

 set aside, although I have rashly preferred making Havergate Island a 

 fashionable watering-place for hares, instead of considering it, with S. V. W., 

 a sort of leporine Botany Bay. I believe many of your readers doubted, 

 till your correspondents produced testimonies to the contrary, that snakes 

 would take the water ; and, notwithstanding that fact is now well esta- 

 blished, I dare say hundreds who do not read the Magazine of Natural His- 

 tory still disbelieve it : and if those who know that hares will also take 

 the water would give their evidence, the Havergate hares might not be 

 supposed so completely exempt from the use of their legs, in a way common 

 to most animals who possess four, as S. V. W. would wish them to be 

 represented. During the march of intellect, I do not see why hares should 

 not be allowed to swim, since we see other animals of the long-eared tribe 

 allowed to elect members of parliament. But I never supposed that every 

 hare in Havergate had got thither by the exercise of any hitherto unknown 

 art or accomplishment; for I imagine that they breed there as well as on 

 the other side of the " formidable aqueous barrier." Allowing that almost 

 every hare was born and educated, or transported to and naturalised in Ha- 

 vergate Island, Ido not see how that disproves the assertion of the steward, 

 upon which I commented ; nor have I ever met with any act of legislature 

 by which hares are prohibited from imitating, if they are so inclined, the 

 aquatic pastimes of Leander of old, who swam over the Hellespont, under 

 the influence of a passion which, if it did not equally affect all the creatures 

 in the universe, my esteemed friend, Mr. Edwards, might in vain attempt to 

 turn to account in the colonisation of his island. I have the testimony of 

 a Cambrian sportsman, who knows more about hares than I do, and almost 

 as much as S. V. W. does, to the effect that hares will swim across a stream 

 even more than " 200 yards in width " in search of food or shelter, and 



