TUB HARE. IT '' 



an- tlesh coin n-d. and the.-\e is brown. Tin- animal is of little direct use to in.iiikitiil, nit its 

 tlesh is In-Ill in \er\ lo\\ estimation. ami its hair is - sli^htU aiia<-li.-l to the -Kin that ita 

 less. i<. lln- furrier. Then- was for ..... rl\ ili-nt idea that rats had an esiM<cial 



antijiath\ t<> tin- Guinea Pig, and would not haunt an\ place wlu-i- these animals was 



kept. Rabbit owners wen- th.-rvf.uv in the hal>it uf placing a Guinea Pi-' in th.- xime apart 

 mi-lit \\ith tin- hutches, in hojies of searing away tin- rats. whirh an- tin- rhii-f i-in-iiiii of tame 

 rabbits. As. ho\\e\er. in several instances tin- <iiiin.-a 1'ij- i eaten by the rats instead of 

 driving tlu-iii from tin- premises, tin- custom has gradually fall.-n into desened disrepute. 



TIIK group of animals which is known In tin- naint- of LejioridH*, from tin- Ltiin won!, 

 (,-j, ,. .; !;.,,.-. isOMllj dfadagnkhabic fron " othei '> ! ' l>> the ]-<-uliai dentition of th 

 ii|'|H-r jaw. l">ually tlu-n- an- only t*o inri-oi t.-.-th in that jaw; but in the LeporidM- there 

 an- four im-ixirs, u pair of smaller teeth ln-im: i>la<--<l imim<liat-ly U-hind the usual upper 



The txmimon HAKK is known fmm tin- ral>l>it by the n-ider hue of its fur, the great pro- 

 |Hirtionate length of ito blarkiii'|M-,l rars, whirh an- nearly an inrli lon-i-i than the head ; by 

 it^ \i-ry loin; hind legs, and its large and prominent eyes. When ftill-gmwn it is of consid- 

 erable size, weighing on the average about eight or nine ]Miunds. and sometimes attaining the 

 \\.-iirhtoftwelv ..... -even thirte.-n IKMH<IS. In total length it nither .-xitHxls two feet, the tail 

 iH-ing alxjut three inches long. The color of the common Han- i*. LTI-IX i-h-bn>wn on the upper 

 portions of the body, mix.-d with a da^h of yellow ; the alxloini-n i-> whit.-, and the ini-k and 

 breast are yellowish-white. Tin- tail is black on the upju-r surface and white undemeath, so 

 that when the nvatun- runs it exhibits the white tail at every leap. Sometime* the color of 

 the I !:,! <!'' 'i- in 1 " t'i.M k. :,.'! !:: MI nian> examples of ilbino sjHvimens of this animal 



It is popularly supposed to be a timid animal, and has therefore received the sjK-eilir title of 

 timidus;" but it is n-ally jtosseased of m> small slum* of courage. According to a well-known 

 w riter not a sportsman we malign the poor cn-atun- by stigmatizing it as cowardly or timid. 

 U-caiise it runs awa> uli.-n it 10 bunted. Ihlf :i liMiidi-.-l hOBHOMB, tQgettMl itlia].ai-K .f 

 dogs, band together in pursuit of one def.-ncel.-s^ Han-, which is likely to run away under 

 such circumstances. Then- is hardly any animal, fnuu an elephnnt or lion dow nw.ird-. that 

 would not run away in like manner: and it is very unfair to brand the poor Hare with an 

 off-nsi\e epithet In-caiise it does not attempt to tight a field of horsemen and a jiack of hounds. 



However disjHis.-d tin- Han- maybe to flight, when matched against such overw helming 

 odds, she is really a courageous animal when mon- fairly dealt with. 



A countrymen had raptured a young leven-t in a furrow, and was proceeding to mark it 

 by notching its ears, when he was interrupted in his work by the mother Han-, which flew at 

 him \sith singular courage, and struck so fiercely with her feet tliat she tore his hands rather 

 severely. Finding that she could not release her child, she stood within a few feet of the 

 captor, and waited ]>atiently until he liU-ratM the little Han-, with which she went off. The 

 Hare is a very pugnacious animal, and is in the habit of waging the most savage fights with 



thOSe Of its own SJteries. 



The very long and powerful hind legs of the Hare enable it to make prodigious bounds, 

 and to cover a considerable space of ground at every leap. The hinder limbs are, indeed, of 

 such irn-.it pn>]M>rtiOBte l-n^tli that tli-- unim:.' 1 ilM B0< VElk, but proceed*!)] :i--ii.-"f 

 hops or leaps. Tin- Hare is so constituted that it never becomes fat. however rich and fertile 

 may be the pasture in which it feeds, and is therefore enabled to run for a very great distance 

 without being fatigued, an would 1- the case if its muscles were loaded with fat. It can also 

 leap to a considerable height, and has l-en known to jump over a i-Ti-eiidicular wall of eight 

 feet in height in order to escape fn>m its pursuers. 



It is a wonderfully running animal, and is said by many who have closely studied its 

 habits to surpass the fox in n-ady imrenuity. Api*-aring to understand the method by whirh 

 the hounds an- enabled to track its footsteps, it employs the most crafty maiui-uvn- for the 

 purpose of throwing them off the scent. Sometimes it will nin forwards fora considerable 

 distance, and then, after returning for a few hundred yards on the same track, will make a 



