HARES. 



433 



THE EAIJBIT WARREN. 



car, in being less of a pure white beneath, and in having 

 a shorter tail and hind-feet. It attains a length of from 

 twelve to fifteen inches, and a weight of one and a half 

 pounds or more. 



One of the most curious species of the Leporidce found 

 in the Far West is the little rabbit or hare known as L. 

 bairdii, which is a Rocky Mountain variety of the L. ame- 

 ricanus. This seems to be the result of a new departure in 

 Nature, or at least a desire to prove that her general laws 

 are mutable. The first specimen of this extraordinary 

 creature was caught by Dr. Hayden in the Wind River 

 Mountains, in June, 1860, but it has since been found from 

 Wyoming to nearly the head -waters of the Yellowstone 

 River. Five specimens were captured in 1872 by the sur- 

 veying party under the professor's charge, and it is from 



19 



