160 COMMON lUUTLSH ANIMALS 



solitary in its ^'form^^ — a selected spot for repose on 

 the ground^ usually covered by long grass or growing 

 corn. 



The hare is more particular about its food than the 

 rabbit. It will eat grass^ clover, corn, and turnips, 

 but will carefully peel the turnips before eating them, 

 leaving the peel on the ground. In this way the 

 robber can be detected, for the rabbit eats the 

 turnip, peel and all. Mr. Millais says hares eat 

 quantities of meadow grass, Poa iwatensls^ Festuca 

 rubra, and Trifolmm medium, sow thistles and 

 dandelions. Like rabbits they make raids on the 

 flower garden, eating carnations and pinks, wall- 

 flowers and nasturtiums, and they will often go down 

 to the sea shore to eat the sea pea {Lathyriis 

 maritima) . 



Mr. Drane, who has kept hares in captivity for 

 many years^ has discovered many things concerning 

 the habits and characteristics of his pets. His 

 fascinating account "^ of the hare should be read by 

 all nature students. 



He has studied the habit attributed to the hare, 

 even in the Bible (Levit. XI, 6) and elsewhere, of 

 chewing the cud. " And the hare because he cheweth 

 the cud, and divideth not the hoof, he iui unclean to 

 you.^^ Mr. Drane believes that the hare was thought 

 to be chewing the cud when he was really only 

 grinding his teeth, a practice we have referred to 

 above. The same author says : " What seems really 

 to occur is this : the creature is essentially nocturnal, 

 feeding mainly between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., but chiefly 



* ' Trans. Cardiff Naturalists' Soc./ vol. xxvii, Part II, 1894-5. 



