330 LEPORID^E— LEPUS 



Description : — The Irish Hare differs from the Scottish in its 

 larger size, generally russet colour, not smoky brown or "blue," and in 

 its irregular assumption of a white winter coat. It has longer ears and 

 skeleton of the tail (although the actual fur of the Scottish Hare may be 

 longer) ; natter inter-orbital region ; less highly elevated superciliary 

 processes ; longer, broader, and heavier incisors ; and longer and 

 stouter molars. 



The arrangement and annulation of the fur and the general colour 

 pattern of the body, tail, and ears are the same as in the Scottish Hare, 

 but the dark browns of that species are represented by richer tints near 

 " tawny," " tawny ochraceous," or " ochraceous." Owing to the fact that 

 a white hiemal coat is only partially assumed, the ochraceous hues may 

 become exaggerated, both in old and young, as the hairs of the winter 

 coat grow old and their black tips wear away, so that they often appear 

 as " red as a fox." In fresh pelage, on the other hand, the black tips 

 are more prominent and the general colour is deeper and darker. In 

 the pigmented coat the line of demarcation is comparatively definite. 

 The whiskers may be black or white. The soles are brownish. 



Leverets at birth are about the size of rabbits at the twelfth or four- 

 teenth day, and probably weigh about 2 oz. ; they have very short, 

 broad, almost triangular ears, eyes less prominent than in adults, head 

 markedly round, and underfur much more abundant than hairs. For 

 the first few days they resemble rabbits, but have larger ears and feet, 

 shorter tails, and lighter coloration; they are also more woolly, especially 

 in early spring, when the coat is very thick. Their colours are 

 variable even in the same litter, but are quite different from those of 

 adults. In the first coat the underfur is about equally bicoloured, the 

 bases being dusky, the distal ends of a tint similar to the subterminal 

 bands of the long hairs ; the latter are much lighter and less rich than 

 in adults, being lighter than " isabella colour " or " clay colour," or 

 approaching "buff"; in some specimens the tints resemble those of L. 

 europcBus. As the animal grows the light tips become longer at the 

 expense of the dusky bases. The rump, tail, and ears present the 

 same pattern as in adults, but the amount of grey on the latter varies 

 or may be nearly absent. The tail is darker than in adults, and may 

 be heavily sprinkled with black hairs on both sides ; it whitens 

 gradually. As the animal advances to maturity its tints become richer, 

 commencing with the upper side of the head, but quite large animals 

 are still in an intermediate condition, evidently representing a post- 

 juvenal coat. Leverets with the hind foot measuring ioo to 105 mm. 

 (including claws) were found to be in the lightest stage ; one with the 

 hind foot 118 mm. was intermediate; one killed in January with the 

 hind foot 134 mm. had not acquired a fully adult appearance, neither 

 had a male, weighing 6 lbs. and with the hind foot 137 mm., killed early 



