96 THE SAGE-HARE. 



must be the droppings of a large flock of sheep 

 covering the ground thickly, just as though the 

 animals had been folded. I had barely time to 

 think what animal could be so abundant, when 

 the dogs, tired as they were, started two or 

 three large hares from under the wild-sage 

 bushes. We saw numbers of them, and shot 

 several ; but the flesh tasted so strongly of the 

 wild-sage, on which these hares mainly sub- 

 sist, that eating it was an impossibility. The 

 Prairie Hare (Lepus campestris) appears entirely 

 confined to these sandy desert-lands, being 

 replaced by the Red Hare (L. Washingtonii) in 

 the timbered districts. 



The fur of the Prairie Hare is long and silky, 

 and exactly the colour of the sand and dead leaves 

 under the bushes w r here they make their ' forms ;' 

 unless they move, it is impossible to distinguish 

 them, although looking down on their backs. 

 The ears are quite a fifth longer than the head. 

 In summer, the colour of the back, sides, throat, 

 and limbs is grey, varied with yellow and brown 

 markings ; tail quite white, above and below ; ears 

 yelloAV on the outside, but tipped with black, 

 thinly covered inside with long white hairs ; belly 

 quite white. In winter the hairs change to a 

 pure white ; the colouring-matter is absorbed, and 



