30 NEIGHBORS WITH CLAWS AND HOOFS. 



15. Mark Twain describes this animal as follows: "As 

 the sun was going down, we saw the first specimen of an 

 animal known, from Kansas clear to the Pacific Ocean, as 

 the ' jackass-rabbit.' He is well named. He is just like 

 any other rabbit, except that he is from one third to twice 

 as large, has longer legs in proportion to his size,, and has 

 the most preposterous ears that ever were mounted on any 

 creature but a jackass. 



16. "When he is sitting quiet, thinking about his 

 sins, or is absent-minded or unapprehensive of danger, his 

 majestic ears project above him conspicuously; but the 

 breaking of a twig will scare him nearly to death, and 

 then he tilts back his ears gently and starts for home. 

 All you can see, then, for the next minute, is his long, 

 gray form stretched out straight, and ' streaking it ' 

 through the low sage-brush, head erect, eyes right, and 

 ears just canted a little to the rear, but showing you 

 where the animal is all the time, the same as if he carried 

 a jib. 



17. "Now and then he makes a marvelous spring 

 with his long legs, high over the stunted sage-brush, and 

 scores a leap that would make a horse envious. Presently 

 he comes down to a long, graceful lope, and shortly he 

 disappears. He has crouched behind a sage-bush, and 

 will sit there and listen and tremble, until you get within 

 six feet of him, when he will get under way again. 



18. "But one must shoot at this creature once, if he 

 wishes to see him throw his heart into his heels, and do 

 the best he knows how. He is frightened clear through, 

 and he lays his long ears down on his back, straightens 

 himself out like a yard-stick every spring he makes, and 

 scatters miles behind him with an easy indiiference that 

 is enchanting. 



19. " Our whole party shot at this specimen and made 



