Prairie-hare 663 



young. A. S. Barton writes me from Boissevain, Man.: 

 "The Jack-rabbits run in packs after the females; about 20th 

 of April many people told me they had seen 4 or 5 together, 

 and I once saw 3 all in string." 



As evidence in point I quote from my own Journal: 

 Cos Cob, Conn., April 28. For the past two weeks I 

 have noted in the park, at Wyndygoul, 2 Jack-rabbits, one a 

 Whitetail, the other, a Blacktail, running and keeping to- 

 gether, evidently paired. (They continued together for a 

 year afterwards.) I have also seen at another part of the park 

 2 Whitetails running together. These things incline to show 

 that the species does pair. In the former case it looks as 

 though they were at times guilty of mesalliance. The weight 

 of evidence at present, however, would prove the Prairie-hare 

 addicted to polygamy, or even a still lower order of matrimony. 



All observers agree that the nest, or *form,' is like that nfst- 

 of other Hares, a mass of leaves or dry grass on the ground 

 under some tussock of grass or low bush in the open country. 



Gestation lasts 30 days with the true Hares, and no doubt young 

 the rule applies here, as this is a true Hare. The young are 

 born in June or early July, oftener the latter in Montana, 

 according to Dr. Coues,® who studied them in the Milk River 

 country. They are 3 to 6 in number, 4 being the most frequent. 



The young of the European Hare are born with eyes open 

 and continue in the nest for about three weeks, during which 

 time they are suckled two or three times a day. When she 

 leaves them, the old one covers them over with a dummy 

 mother that is made with grass and down from her own breast. 

 The father, it is generally believed, takes no interest in the 

 young. After a month the little ones begin to follow the 

 old one and learn what to eat and what to let alone. 



These remarks are found to be near the truth for the 

 Prairie-hare. 



Some interesting notes on the development of the young 



" See Note 4. 



