164 COMMON BRITISH ANIMALS 



feet on the fallen foe^ that the victor leaves his rival 

 dead on the field. 



The litters usually number three to five, while in 

 some districts peculiarly favourable to hares as many 

 as eight young have been recorded in one litter. 



The young leverets are born with furry coats, and 

 with the sense of sight, and are very soon a,ble to 

 move about. Soon after birth, however, the mother 

 moves her young ones, placing each in a separate 

 " form,^^ and visits each in turn at night to feed it. 



Hares would appear to be particularly silent 

 animals, uttering no sound except the scream of 

 fear so well known to all sportsmen. Authorities, 

 howevei*, differ as to the sounds emitted by them. 

 The Kev. E. A. Woodruffe Peacock speaks of a 

 peculiar grunting and hissing sound made with 

 closed lips when the bucks are fighting or when 

 driving off grazing sheep and cattle, of whom they 

 have no fear, by boxing them on the head or nose 

 with their forefeet. Mr. Millais also records an 

 observation made by a keeper in the employ of Sir 

 Richard Graham, who stated that the doe makes a 

 noise between a grunt and a whistle when running 

 to her young ones in their forms, and with a similar 

 call she brings them to her. 



Ml'. Drane, writing of the cries of fear, says : 

 " Both sounds are uttered with wide open mouth and 

 resemble the repeated word ' arnt,^ or, if you will, 

 ^ aunt.^ I believe this is the only open-mouthed 

 voice of the hare. But it emits other sounds with a 

 variety of meanings with closed mouth, which 

 resemble our contraction ' don't,^ ^ oont ' and ^ ont/ 



