HARES 69 



brushing the fur of each in the act, while they still 

 remained motionless. 



There is no more remarkable type in nature than 

 that of the hare when it is considered in relation to its 

 specialization for speed. The wonderful symmetry 

 of the greyhound, one of the oldest of the dog types 

 bred by man, is but the corollary, through artificial 

 selection, of what had been attained in the case of 

 the hare by longer ages of natural selection. Our 

 common wild hare, seen in an attitude of attention, 

 is a beautiful creature, displaying in every movement 

 the nature of the history which has produced it. 

 The large, bright, intelligent eye, so different from 

 that of the rabbit ; the deep, cup-shaped ears, 

 capable of being bent in any direction to form a 

 receptacle to catch the slightest sound ; the well- 

 correlated movements, showing intention and intelli- 

 gence at every turn ; the body itself, with its mar- 

 vellous blend of protective colours and its suggestion 

 of speed in every line ; the long and remarkably 

 built hind legs, moved by the powerful muscles 

 above and tapering to the slender feet ; the character- 

 istic leaps and gambols of the creature, which is 

 capable of tucking or folding itself when at ease 

 into a space only one-fifth of its fully extended 

 length ; and, lastly, the pervading consciousness, 

 manifest in all its actions, if it be in the least suspicious 

 of being watched or pursued, of the betraying scent 

 given off by its body, all form a blend of qualities 

 irresistibly suggestive of the untold ages of stress 

 and selection out of which the hare has come. The 

 principal natural enemies of the hare in this country 

 are the fox, the weasel, and the polecat. The be- 

 haviour of the hare on being hunted by the weasel 



