THE RODENTS. 



79 



SO closely allied could well present more jioints of differ- 

 ence than the hare and rabbit, from their birth and life 

 Contrasted habits to the time when they figure at length 

 Avith the on the table, and the flesh is so different in 



rabbit. colour and otherwise as to suggest two animals 



of totally distinct orders. 



In the first place, the young of the hare, or "leveret," 

 as it is called, is born in a comparatively advanced state. 



its eyes being open and its body sparsely furred, whereas 

 that of the rabbit is born blind and naked. Again, the 

 hare is a larger beast, and its ears have cons]:)icuous black 

 tips rarely found in those of the rabbit. Lastly, while the 

 weaker, slower rabbit is forced to pass the greater part of 

 its life underground in burrows of its own digging, the hare 

 crouches close on a " form " or shallow depression in the 

 ground, in which position it may, with some little practice, 

 be closely approached. 



