384 
Varying 
Hares, 
a 
A JOURNEY TO THE 
The Varyinc Hares are numerous to the 
North of Churchill River, and extend as far as — 
latitude 72°, probably farther. They delight 
moft in rocky and ftony places, near the borders 
of woods; though many of them brave the cold- 
eft Winters on entire barren ground. In Sum- 
mer they are nearly the colour of our Englifh | 
wild rabbit; but in Winter aflume a moft deli- 
cate white all over, except the tips of the ears, 
which are black. They are, when full grown 
and in good condition, very large, many of them 
weighing fourteen or fifteen pounds ; and if not 
too old, are good eating. In Winter they feed 
on long rye-grafs and the tops of dwarf willows, 
but in Summer eat berries, and different forts of 
fmall herbage. ‘They are frequently killed on the 
South-fide of Churchill River, and feveral have 
been known to breed near the fettlement at that 
place. They muft multiply very faft, for when 
we evacuated Prince of Wales’s Fort in one thou-. 
fand feven hundred and eighty-two, it was rare 
to fee one of them within twenty or thirty miles 
of that place; but at our return, in one thoufand 
feven hundred and eighty-three, we found them 
in fach numbers, that it was common for one 
man to kill two or three in a day within half a 
mile of the new fettlement. But partly perhaps, — 
from fo many being killed, and partly, from the 
furvivors being fo frequently diflurbed, they 
have {hifted’ their fituation, and are at prefent as 
fcarce near the fettlement as evcr. The Northern 
Indians 
