282 



THE WHITE OR CHANGING HARE. 



Lepus variabilis. PALLAS. 

 PLATE XXXI. 



Ears one -third shorter than the head, black at the tip ; 

 tail white. In summer, the head reddish-brown, the lipt 

 and chin brownish-white -, the ears dusky, the upper parts 

 dull greyish-black, intermixed with reddish, the fore part of 

 the neck dusky-grey. In winter, the general colour white, 

 with long blackish hairs on the upper parts. 



Lepus variabilis, Desmar. Mammal, p. 349. Lepus albus, Jenyns, 

 Brit Vert. Anim. 35. Lepus variabilis, Bell, Brit. Quadr. 343. 



THE White Hare is considerably smaller than the 

 Common and Irish Hares, which, however, it resem- 

 bles in form, although it has the ears and hind legs 

 proportionally shorter. The number of toes, and 

 the nature of the fur, are the same as in the other 

 species ; but the latter is softer and more woolly. 

 In the middle of summer, the head is reddish-brown, 

 the lips and chin brownish-white, the ears dusky on 

 their anterior half, greyish on the posterior, with the 



