222 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YOSEMITE 



country. Droppings : Flattened spheres, yellowish brown in color, about % inch in 

 diameter, scattered on ground. 



Occurrence. — Common resident in Lower and Upper Sonoran zones on west slope 

 of Sierra Nevada where recorded from Snelling and Lagrange eastward to Bower Cave 

 and to slopes of Bullion Mountain (subspecies calif or nicus). Also present in small 

 numbers east of mountains in neighborhood of Mono Lake, as at Mono Lake Post OflEice 

 (subspecies deserticola) . See footnote for details. Inhabit chiefly open plains country, 

 though some individuals live about clear areas in the chaparral or in open woods. 

 Diurnal. 



The California Jack Rabbit is a common species on the plains and 

 rolling lands at the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley where our 

 Yosemite section begins, and it also occurs to a limited extent in open areas 

 in the foothills among digger pines and chaparral. In a few places jack 

 rabbits enter the lower margin of the yellow pine belt, but they go no 

 farther upward. The main forest belt of the central Sierras, the Tran- 

 sition and Canadian zones of the west slope, is devoid of rabbits of any 

 sort. On the east side of the mountains there is a closely allied form, the 

 Desert Jack Rabbit, which occurs in small numbers about Mono Lake. 



Our jack rabbit is strictly speaking a hare, more closely related to 

 the White-tailed Jack Rabbit than to the cottontail and brush rabbits. 

 The present species lives entirely out on the surface of the ground without 

 taking to underground shelters. Its young at birth are fully haired 

 and almost ready for independent existence. The adults when alarmed 

 instead of hiding in shrubbery or bolting down into holes make off in the 

 open and trust to their legs for safety. These are all characters of hares 

 as contrasted with true rabbits. 



The present species is a black-tailed jack rabbit. The upper side of 

 the tail, which is the surface presented to view when a hare is running, is 

 extensively black and hence different in appearance from that of all the 

 other rabbits of the region. 



The jack rabbit is of slender build throughout. The legs and feet are 

 proportionately longer than in the cottontail and brush rabbit. When 

 foraging quietly, the jack rabbit moves by short hops, keeping the soles 

 of the hind feet on the ground and the long ears erect (fig. 33). But when 

 thoroughly frightened, as when closely pursued by a hound, a coyote, or an 

 eagle, the animal stretches out to the utmost extent, the ears are laid down 

 on the back, only the toes touch the ground, and the body is carried low. 

 In this position the rabbit covers two to three yards at each bound. The 

 jack rabbit's whole being is modified for this sort of travel, for escape by 

 speed in the open. 



Only once did we find a jack rabbit taking shelter in a hole, and that 

 was a wounded animal. One shot near Lagrange lay quietly on the ground 

 until the collector made a move to pick it up. Then the 'Jack' scrambled 

 into a hole under some rim rock, whence it could not be dislodged. 



