150 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



Jacks and Coyotes," said Nat, clieerfLilly. ''No one 

 would mind, would tliey, uncle ? " 



" I am quite sure they would not," said the Doctor, 

 laughing ; '^ and it would be one less thing for animal 

 lovers to worry about." 



" We are quite lucky to have such a nice sort of 

 Rabbit living here, even if it does eat a little more 

 than we can spare," said Nat. '^ But you haven't told 

 us about tlie kind that changes his color every year. 

 What is it called, and does that live in the North or 

 South ? " 



" It is named the Varying Hare and lives northward 

 from the state of New York, u[) to Canada and the 

 northwestern parts of British x\merica. In fact, its 

 haunts in the Northwest touch and overlap tliose of tlie 

 Polar Hare, who lives as far nortli as man has been, 

 and is the companion of the Musk Ox and Polar Bear. 

 In that far-away home this Hare always stays the color 

 of the surrounding snow. 



"In size this \^irying Hare comes between the Jack 

 Rabbit and Marsh Hare ; it has much of Jack's length 

 of lind)s, ears, and power of running, though it is, 

 fortunately, not as destructive. It has furry feet like 

 our Wood Hare, and the feeding and living habits of 

 the two are very much alike, except that the Varying 

 Hare is more rarely seen about in full daylight and 

 prefers to feed toward evening, or in the night, like so 

 many of our fourfoots. The change of color is what 

 calls our attention to it. In summer its general hue 

 is reddish ])rown, many of the long hairs having Idack 

 tips. Its underpai'ts are white and yellowisli and its 

 little turned-up tail is white and fluffy, so that the 



