Snowshoe-rabbit fi'5'7 



The frost came suddenly and w ith great severity this year. 

 The weather had been bright and warm all through the 

 autumn, but a strong north wind, with flying snow, set in on 

 the evening of the 21st. In the morning the lakes were 

 frozen over for the first time. The ice on them was not clear, 

 but largely composed of floating snow, and there was a thin 

 coat of snow on all the land. 



As I crossed a small pond near the south side of Chaska 

 Water I came across a curious and tragic record — a common 

 Snowshoe-rabbit frozen in, near the north margin of the pond. 

 The marks in the opaque ice showed how it had leaped into 

 the water from the south side, apparently to escape a Fox, 

 had plunged through the weeds, and swum across the open 

 part. But the course grew crooked, showing that its strength 

 was going, and at the north end, near the bank, I found its 

 body hard frozen in the new ice. 



Its head and back were out of water and dry, its eyes wide 

 open, its legs spread as though striking out. The entire 

 course it left in the ice was about 50 feet. Thus was the 

 tragedy written out with fullest details in the new ice and 

 snow of the earliest storm. 



Dr. Merriam records^ several cases of Hares afloat, thus: 

 "Rabbits are not commonly supposed to swim, but Mr. 

 William Brewster has kindly written me of a case that fell under 

 his personal observation. He says, * While at Lake Umbagog, 

 Maine, in the summer of 1873, I saw something which may 

 interest you. I was paddling up Cambridge River one warm 

 July morning, when, upon rounding a bend, my attention 

 was attracted by a slight splashing sound ahead, and, looking 

 closely, I discovered a Rabbit {Lepus americanus), evidently 

 about to attempt the passage of the stream which at that place 

 was, perhaps, 100 feet wide, and at least 8 or 10 feet deep. 

 He entered the water deliberately, but without apparent fear 

 or hesitation, and was soon beyond his depth and striking out 

 boldly for the opposite shore. A more ridiculous (albeit suc- 



«Mam. Ad., 1884, pp. 309-311. 



