1364 THE RODENTS 



harmonizes well with the general tint of the open country on which most of the species 

 dwell. A noteworthy feature (which, however, is absent in the above-mentioned 

 Indian species) , is the pure white of the under surface of the upturned tail. This, 

 in the case of the rabbit at least, is considered by Mr. Wallace as serving the pur- 

 pose of a guiding signal to other individuals in the presence of danger, so that when 

 the leader of a flock is in full retreat toward its hole, the remainder at once see in 

 which direction to follow. 



Hares, as all the members of the family save the rabbit are called, 



have an almost cosmopolitan distribution, although none are indige- 

 nous to Australasia. Of some thirty known species, by far the greater majority, 

 are, however, confined to the Northern Hemisphere; the whole of South America, 

 having only a single species, the Brazilian hare {Lepus brasiliensis) . 



With the exception of the rabbit and the curious hispid hare of 



Northern India, all the members of the family dwell either in open 

 country among grass and other herbage, or among rocks and bushes. They are 

 solitary, and each inhabits a particular spot known as its form; such form being 

 either a flattened resting place among grass or bushes, or merely the sheltered side 

 of some rock or stone. As a rule, a hare returns to its form, sometimes day by 

 day, for a considerable portion of the year; but the situation is changed period- 

 ically. Hares are mainly nocturnal, going forth at evening in quest of food, and 

 not returning to their forms till after sunrise. Their speed is great; but, owing to 

 the great relative length of their hind-limbs, they are better adapted for running 

 uphill than down. All the members of the genus are remarkable for their extreme 

 timidity, and their long ears are admirably adapted to collect the least sound, and 

 thus to give the earliest possible notice of danger. It will not fail to be observed 

 that the ears are the shortest and the legs the less elongated in the rabbit and the 

 hispid hare, both of which dwell in burrows, and have not, therefore, such need of 

 protecting themselves by acuteness of hearing and extreme speed. All the mem- 

 bers of the family breed with great rapidity; the young being able to reproduce 

 their kind within about six months after birth. Whereas, however, the young of 

 the true hares are born fully clothed with hair and with their eyes open, those of 

 the rabbit, and probably also of the hispid hare, come into the world blind and 

 naked. 



THE COMMON HARE (Lepus europceus) 



Such a well-known animal as the common hare requires but a comparatively- 

 brief description, although it is necessary to point out such features as serve to 

 distinguish it from the mountain hare. The length of the head and body is gener- 

 ally a little short of twenty- two inches; the ears being rather longer than the head, 

 with black tips. The general color of the soft fur of the upper parts and flanks 

 is tawny gray, more or less mingled with rufous, but tending to a purer gray in 

 winter than in summer. The under parts are white; while the tail, of which the 

 length is nearly equal to that of the head, is black above and white beneath. The 

 usual weight is from seven to eight pounds. 



