184 CALIFORNIA MAMMALS. 



I'aiiiily Leporidse l lares and Ra1)l)its. 



Skull' Ioiil;- and narrow: two lower incisors; foiu' upper in- 

 cisors, the niidfUe pair lar^e and deei)ly oTooved in front, the sec- 

 ond pair small and liidden hebind the first pair (in very youtii^ 

 ]iares there is a uunute third pair which arc soon shed) ; molars 

 rootless; rami of lower jaw wide and thin; facial surface of max- 

 illa extensively perforated or reticulated; a iierforation between 

 the eve sockets; collar hones present hut usually imperfect; size 

 laro-e. 



The Hare fannly contains hut two i^enera. about forty spec- 

 ies and sexeral subspecies. It is best re])resented in Kovih .\merica. 

 There are several Old World .si)ecies. but the fannly has no rei)re- 

 sentative in Australia. 



The food is entirely vci^-etable. mostly tlie leaves, stems or 

 brandies of a variet\- of ])lants and small shrubs, which arc bitten 

 off and eaten on the spot. In some regions they damag-e young 

 orcharils and vineyards, and occasionally they become sufficiently 

 abundant to seriously harm grain crops. The family is of some 

 economic importance as a source of {and supply, the animals be- 

 ing of sufticient si/e to be worth hunting and the tlesh being pal- 

 ateable. 



Hares are digitigrade, terrestrial, principally cre]niscular and 

 nocturnal. In most species there is little change of color with 

 age, sex or season, but some northern species umlergo a complete 

 change of color twice a voar. being brownish in summer and white 

 in winter. 



The mamuKC are numerous, usually the pairs, abdominal. 

 The number of \'onng are variable with species and region, tiie 

 bvuropean Rabbit having .several litters each year, each litter 

 averaging half a dozen or more; while most .\merican Mares have 

 but two or three litters annually, and these seldom number more 

 than four or the. The young of the European Ral>bit are born 

 bHnd and hairless in an underground nest, but the the American 

 species of Hares are well haired at birth and can see and very 

 soon care for themselves. 



