24 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



grew very tame, and would sit out under the 

 large wire run in front of its house and play with 

 the dogs. The latter used to lie about in the 

 sun close to the cage, the hare drumming at them 

 with its fore-feet. 1 have often seen a happy 

 family composed of several spaniels round the 

 cage, two cats sitting on the top, several white 

 fantail pigeons, and, not infrequently, some pied- 

 wagtails fearlessly running about on the grass 

 within a few yards. 



We are accustomed to regard a hare as one of 

 the most timid of all animals ; and in a state of 

 Nature this is the case. When, however, they 

 are kept in confinement, and have been tamed, 

 they not only lose their shyness to a very great 

 extent, but are at times capable of exhibiting an 

 amount of ferocity hardly credible ; and instances 

 have been recorded of their having completely 

 beaten off a dog. A relation of mine was well 

 acquainted with a lady in one of our Northern 

 towns who kept two hares, which she had 

 succeeded in taming, and which were very much 

 attached to her. On her return home, after a 

 prolonged absence of some three or four months, 

 and visiting her pets, they had, apparently, not 

 only lost their affection for her, but attacked her 

 in so savage and determined a manner that she 

 was forced to beat a retreat. I have every 

 reason to believe in the absolute truth of this 

 statement. 



Unlike rabbits hares prefer solitude. It is an 



