260 LEPORIDyE— LEPUS 



length, distinct dorsal colour pattern, lack of noticeable contrast between 

 the colour of the sides of the body and of the outer surface of the 

 thighs, and by the absence of white markings on the feet. 



The fur contains the three typical components (see above, p. 162). 

 The middle hairs are more prominent than in the Rabbit, hence the 

 pelage is not so soft as in that animal. The whiskers and superciliary 

 tufts are much thicker and longer than in the varying hares, and the 

 fur on the soles coarser and harder to the touch. 



The colour of the underfur is on the back whitish, with conspicuous 

 dusky tips, becoming unicoloured "buff" or " ochraceous buff" on the 

 flanks, and on the belly unicoloured white. 



In the hairs, the usual order of the rings from the tip downwards is, 

 as in the wild Rabbit, black, "ochraceous buff," black, and at the base 

 some lighter shade ; the dark tip may, however, be absent, so that the 

 upper side of the animal, including the top of the head, is, for the most 

 part grizzled ochraceous buff, with a not very considerable mixture of 

 dusky where the underfur or the black hair-tips show. The shoulders, 

 flanks, neck, nape, throat, and a band across the inguinal region are 

 ruddier, without black, and may in richly-coloured individuals almost 

 reach a ruddy " ochraceous brown." The flanks are sprinkled with long 

 whitish or buff hairs having dusky bases. The sides of the face are 

 yellower or lighter than the upper side, and these, with two more or 

 less clearly defined bands passing from nose to ear, and including 

 the eye, may be grey or nearly white, especially in winter. The outer 

 surfaces of the limbs are lighter and yellower than the back, there 

 being no black-tipped hairs. The under side is white, with the excep- 

 tion of the pectoral and inguinal bands already mentioned, and the 

 inner surfaces of the limbs whitish. The tail is more or less black above ; 

 beneath white, the white overlapping and showing on the margins of 

 the upper side. The thickly furred soles are a dirty yellowish white 

 shade. There are numerous black or white whiskers, of which the white 

 are the longer, and may reach a length of 90 mm. The eyelashes and 

 a tuft of strong hairs above each eye (length 71 mm.) are black. The 

 ears are thickly covered on the outer surfaces with short hairs, which 

 are usually black with ochraceous tips ; the inner surfaces are sparsely 

 clothed with tawny hairs, and the bases and anterior surfaces resemble the 

 back in colour, but are lighter. Each ear has a more or less conspicuous 

 black apical tip, which shows only as a thick rim on the internal 

 surface, but on the external extends downwards for a distance of 

 about 30 mm. ; beneath each black tip an indefinite band of grey 

 spreads on to the external margin as a distinct rim. 



In the hind feet (see Plate XX.) the two longer central and the two 

 shorter outer digits form subequal pairs; the second is slightly longer 

 than the fifth, and the third than the fourth ; the hallux is absent. 



