FAMILY OF HARES AND RABBITS 



281 



progression is a series of leaps and bounds. It 

 starts off with a great bound, and, says Dr. 

 Coues, " the instant it touches the ground it is 

 up again, with a pecuhar springy jerk, more hke 

 the rebounding of an elastic ball than the re- 

 sult of muscular exertion. With a succession 

 of these high jerky leaps the animal makes off, 

 generally in a straight course ; there is nothing 

 of the dodging or scuttling about that marks 

 the running of the smaller Rabbits." 



These Jack " Rabbits " do not occur in such 

 numbers as the Black-tailed species. Dr. Coues 

 says it is not in the least gregarious. " I have 

 never seen nor heard of several together," he 

 states, " and indeed it is rare to find even two 

 together, at any season whatever. It is one of 

 the most solitary animals with which I have 

 become acquainted. If it has any preference 

 however, it is for ' weedy ' tracts, of which the 

 sage-brush regions furnish the best examples ; 



1 ;' 





Photograph by S. Brunner 



JACK " RABBIT " 



In its winter coat — pure white except for tips of ears. While really a Hare, this rodent is universally 



called a " Rabbit " 



Opinions differ as to the frequency with 

 which the Prairie Hare breeds ; but Dr. Palmer 

 states that the evidence available " not only fails 

 to substantiate the view that Jack Rabbits breed 

 every six weeks in the year, but there is every 

 reason to believe that each species has a regular 

 "breeding season and a definite period of rest." 

 The young, usually four, occasionally six, are 

 born in June or July. 



19 



there it finds shelter, which the low, crisp grass 

 of rolling prairie does not afford, and doubtless 

 also secures a greater variety of food." 



Inasmuch, however, as a commission house 

 in Saint Paul, Minn., handled 12,000 Jack 

 " Rabbit " skins from North and South Dakota, 

 where the White-tailed is the only species, it 

 is evident that they must be fairly abundant in 

 some districts. 



