Snowshoe-rabbit 629 



On June 25, 1884, near MInnedosa, I saw two Hares 

 chasing each other among the willow thickets. On being 

 'collected' both proved to be males. The energy with which 

 they were engaged, however, was suggestive of battle rather 

 than play. 



While camped in the Bitter-root Mountains of Idaho, 

 September 7, 1902, I saw something that looked like a social 

 gathering among the Snowshoes. 



I had captured a half-grown one and at night put it under 

 a box. It soon made the forest ring with a loud tattoo beaten 

 on the box with its front feet. Shortly afterwards a full-grown 

 Snowshoe-rabbit darted across the open camp space and into 

 the dark forest again. Another and another appeared, and we 

 heard the alarm thump in the woods around. Armed with an 

 acetylene lantern and a camera, my companion (W. E. Bemis) 

 and myself went forth to investigate. As we set the lantern 

 on the ground, a Rabbit rushed into the light, gazed at it and 

 disappeared. Another came, gazed, gave an alarm thump 

 and vanished. Then two came, then others, then more, a 

 dozen Snov/shoe-rabbits at length, were gazing into that 

 marvellous light. One gave the alarm and all dashed off. 

 But they came back, and yet closer, and began to caper about 

 in the bright place and chase each other in play, leaping past 

 the lantern which I held on the ground, and over the camera 

 which my friend was holding. 



At length one of them jumped on the camera between my 

 friend's hands, and was caught. It shrieked with terror. In 

 a twinkling every Rabbit had disappeared, and though we were 

 two weeks longer in that second camp, we did not see another 

 of this species. 



A second illustration of the fascinating power of a lantern 

 I find in my Journal for September 16, 1904. I was then at 

 Ingolf, Ont., and during a stay of twenty-four hours, myself 

 and two companions saw over 20 live Rabbits in the woods 

 and found 6 dead on the railway track. These, the station 

 agent said, had been killed by the trains. At night they get 

 on the tracks, and are so bewildered by the headlight that they 



