176 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



above are those of a Hare shot west of Tachienlu ; possibly 

 that found around Sungpan is a different species. They look 

 the same in colour, but my memory of the Sungpan animal 

 pictures a Hare approximating to the Blue Hare of Europe 

 (L. timidus) in size. However, I may have been mizzled by 

 the long ears. 



The city wall of Sungpan Ting (alt. 9200 feet) encloses 

 a mountain-side, the summit of which is 1000 feet above the 

 level of the town proper. The mountain-side is largely given 

 over to terraced fields of wheat, barley, and peas. In these 

 fields I have on several different occasions put up these Hares, 

 and the animal is common throughout the moorlands bordering 

 the wheat-field area of north-western Szechuan. It is very 

 good eating and much superior in flavour to the lowland 

 species. 



The lowland Hares are sadly confused, and it is not 

 easy to quote names with any degree of certainty. All those 

 we collected around Ichang, both north and south of the 

 river, have been determined as a variety of Swinhoe's Hare 

 (L. swinhoei filchneri) . The colour of the body is tawny above ; 

 belly, white ; throat, buff ; upper part of tail, black ; lower 

 part, white. A large male measured : total length, 20 inches ; 

 tail, 3^ inches ; heel, 4I inches. The ears are short and the 

 ends are black, tipped with white ; average weight, 41 to 5 lbs. 

 The measurements show an animal equal in size with the 

 Szechuan Hare, but it looks very much smaller when running. 

 In the reed-bed region, where River Deer and Ring-neck 

 Pheasant occur, the small Chinese Hare (L. sinensis) is common. 

 This animal is about the size of a common Enghsh Wild Rabbit, 

 weighing 3I to 4 lbs. The general colour is reddish-brown 

 with a rufous patch at the base of neck ; ears and upper part 

 of the tail same colour as back. This Hare is said to be 

 restricted to the south bank of the river, but in the region 

 mentioned above it is equally common on the north bank. 



It is possible that other species of Hare occur in these 

 regions and more especially in central Szechuan (Red Basin). 

 Sportsmen should closely examine any they may happen to 

 kill. The colour and length of tail and ears are good dis- 

 tinguishing characters. 



