372 On the Northern Hare, 



outer borders of the ears. In the latitude of Albany, New York, 

 it has always a tinge of reddish-brown, more conspicuous in some 

 specimens than in others, giving it a wavy appearance, especially 

 when the animal is running, or when the fur is in the least agi- 

 tated. In the winter season the hair is plumbeous at base, then 

 reddish, and is broadly tipped with white. The parts of the body 

 which are the last to assume the white change are the forehead 

 and shoulders ; we have two winter-killed specimens before us 

 that have the forehead and a patch on the shoulders brown. On 

 the under surfjice the fur in most specimens is white, even to the 

 roots. A few long black hairs arise above and beneath the eyes, 

 and extend backwards. The soles have a yellowish soiled ap- 

 pearance. 



We possess a specimen of the young, about half grown, which 

 in its general aspect resembles the adult ; the colour of the back, 

 however, is a shade darker, and the under surface an ashy white. 

 The black edge is very conspicuous on the outer rim of the ear, 

 and some of the whiskers are of unusual length, reaching beyond 

 the head to the middle of the ear. The tail is very short, black 

 above, and grayish-white beneath. The young become white in 

 the autumn of the first year, but assume their winter colouring a 

 little later in the season than the adults. We have met with 

 some specimens in the New York markets, late in January, in 

 which the change of colour was verj partial, the summer pelage 

 still predominating. 



DIMENSIONS. 



The size and weio:ht of the northern hare we have found to 

 vary very much. The measurements hitherto given were gene- 

 rally taken from stuffed specimens, which afford no very accurate 

 indications of the size of the animal when living or when recently 

 killed. Dr. Godman, on the authority of Prince Charles Lucien 

 Bonaparte, gives the measurement of a recent specimen as 

 thirty-one inches, and Dr. Harlan's measurement of the same 

 specimen after it had been stuffed was sixteen inches. We think 

 it probable that the Prince and the Doctor adopted different 

 modes of measuring. All stuffed specimens shrink very much ; 

 of a dozen now in our collection, there is not one that measures 

 more than eighteen inches, from point of nose to root of tail, and 

 several white adults measure but fifteen inches. 



The following measurements are from the largest specimen we 

 have procured, taken when the animal was recently killed; 



