48 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



THE AMERICAiV RABBIT. 



THE VARYING HARE. 



ments, he relics mostly upon his quills 

 for defence and safety. VVhen his en- 

 emy approaches, if allowed sutHcient 

 time, he will generally retreat to a fissure 

 amonj the rocks, or take refuge in the 

 top of a tree, which he ascends with fa- 

 cility : but, if overtaken, he places his 

 Jiead between liis fore legs, draws his bo- 

 dy' into a globular form, and erects his 

 barbed spines, which now project in all 

 directions. ]ii this condition they defy 

 the attack of all enemies but man. 'I'Jie 

 fox, the wolf and tliedog attempt to seize 

 him only to be severely wounded in the 

 nose and mouth by the sharp projecting 

 quills. These quills, being barbed at the 

 extremity, and adlierlng in the wound, 

 are detaclied from the owner, and b}" 

 their rankling, and by penetrating deej)- 

 er and deeper, not only discourage tiie at- 

 tack of the assailant, but very often occa- 

 sion liis death. The vulgar notion that 

 this animal lias the power of projecting or 

 shooting his (jnills at his assailant, is with- 

 out a shadow of foundation. 



The quills of tlie Hedge Hog arc highly 

 prized b}' the aborigines on all parts of 

 the continent, and are used b)' them in 

 various ways as ornaments of their dress- 

 es, pipes and war instruments. For this 

 purpose they are dyed of several rich and 

 permanent colors, cut into short pieces, 

 strung upon threads or sinews, and then 

 \vrought into various forms and figures 

 upon their belts, butfalo robes, moccasins, 

 &c., and in these operations the}' mani- 

 fest considerable ingenuity and a great 

 deal of patient |)erseverance. 



The Hedge Hog is a solitary', sluggish 

 animal, seldom venturing to much dis- 

 tance from his retreat among the rocks. 

 Their food consists of fruits of different 

 kinds, roots, herbs, and the bark and buds 

 of trees. Their flesh is sometimes eaten, 

 and is esteemed by tlie Indians as the 

 greatest luxury. They have three or four 

 young at a litter, and their period of ges- 

 tation is said to be 40 days. Tlie Hedge 

 Hog or American Porcupine, when full 

 grown and fat, weighs about 16 pounds. 



Genus Lepus. — Linnmus. 



Generic Characters. — Teeth, 28 — Incis- 

 ors A no canines, "rinders A.s. The upper in- 



2 ) " e e • ' "^ 



cisors are placed in pairs, two wedge-.'liapcd 

 wilii a lonHilndiiial furrow in front, and two smal- 

 ler ones intermediately behind ; the under incisors 

 square, grinders with flat crowns and transverse 

 lamina; of enamel. Head rather large; ears 

 lonu ; eyes large, projecting laterally ; fore feel 

 with live toes ; hind feol with four very long toes ; 

 all the toes armed with moderate sized nails, 

 whieh are slightly arched ; bottotns of the feet 



hairy; tail short, hairy and elevated; mamm:fi 

 from 6 to 10. 



THE AMERICAN RABBIT. 



Lcpus amcricanus. 



Description. — Color, above grayish 

 fawn, varied with blackish brown and red- 

 dish ; more red about the shoulders than 

 elsewhere ; a whitish spot before the eyes 

 and another behind the cheeks; breast 

 and belly white; feet reddish before with 

 the point of the foot fawn color; upper 

 part of the tail the color of the back, be- 

 neath white, fur on the body white in 

 winter, but the ears and tail are of the 

 same gray color summmer and winter. 

 Length 14 inches, head 3;^ ears 2j, tail 2 

 inches. 



History. — This animal though strictly 

 a Hare has acquired very generally in this 

 country the name of Rabbit. Indeed the 

 name of Rabbit is not only applied to this 

 species,butalso to the following, and this is 

 distinguished by the appellation of Gray 

 rabbit, on account of its not becoming so 

 white in the winter as the other. I'liis is 

 the most common species of hare through- 

 out the United States, and is also one of 

 the most prolific species. It produces its 

 young three or four times in the course 

 of the year and has from from five to sev- 

 en at a birtli. This animal has been sup- 

 posed to form burrows in the earth like 

 the European Rabbit, but this is probably 

 a mistake. It is true they are sometimes 

 found in burrows, but it is believed to be 

 only in cases in which they have taken ref- 

 uge in the holes of foxes or woodchucks. 



THE VARYING HARE. 

 Lcpus virginianus. — Harlan. 

 Description. — General color, in its 

 svinmcr dress, reddish brown, darkest 

 along the back, lighter about the should- 

 ers, and passing into white on the belly. 

 Hairs on the upper parts bluish at their 

 base, then light reddish yellow, and ti])- 

 ped with black. Chin and ears bluish 

 white mixed with reddish brown, the lat- 

 ter margined exterior!}', towards the tip, 

 witli black, and slightl}' edged with white ; 

 orbits surrounded by reddish fawn ; flanks 

 tinged witli orange ; sides of tlie feet whi- 

 tish ; soles covered with long hair of a 



