THE GNAWERS 



83 



Fig. 61. — The Hare. 



numbers in the San Joaquin Valley, that it is found neces- 

 sary to have rabbit drives at certain intervals. Men gather 

 from all the neighboring towns, and form a line several 

 miles long and drive the pests into a corral built for the 

 purpose, where thousands are finally hemmed in and 

 killed. In Australia the common rabbit has become such 



a pest that it is almost a na- 

 tional calamity, and thousands 

 of dollars are expended annually 

 in killing it off. 



Hares differ from rabbits very 

 materially in their habits. They 

 have long hind legs (Fig. 61), 

 while rabbits (Fig. 62) have very 

 short ones. The hare forms its 

 nest on the surface and never makes a burrow, while the 

 rabbit burrows and makes its nest beneath the ground. 

 I have never but once seen a 

 hare take to a burrow when 

 hard pressed. The polar hare, 

 as its name indicates, lives in 

 the far North, where its white 

 coat affords it no little protec- 

 tion from the huge owl that 

 preys upon it. One rabbit found in the Mississippi ^^egion 

 takes to the water when followed, swimming and diving 

 with great skill, in marked contrast to the rest of the 

 group, which as a rule avoid water. 



All the domestic rabbits sprang from the common Eng- 

 lish rabbit. In 1901-1902 a singular craze for so-called 

 Belgian hares spread to some extent all over the country. 



Fig. 62. —The Cottontail 

 Rabbit, 



