H A M E L L I A H A 11 E. 



HAMELLIA (Linnaeus). A genus of West 

 Indian evergreen shrubs, belonging to the class Pen- 

 tandria, and to the natural order Rubiaceae. This is 

 an easily managed free-flowering genus, thriving in 

 loam and moor-earth, and striking root readily from 

 cuttings. 



HAMITES (Sowerby). A shell only known 

 in its fossil state ; it may be considered a species of 

 Ammonites ; it is frequently found in the old form- 

 ations, though generally as an imperfect mould. 

 Both Sowerby and Defrance have described many 

 species. 



HARDWICKIA (Roxburgh). A genus of lofty 

 trees, natives of the East Indies, and belonging to 

 Lcguininosce. Generic character : calyx of five sepals ; 

 corolla none ; stamens alternately long and short ; 

 anthers oval with a point ; style ascending ; stigma 

 headed ; pod membranaceous, lance-shaped, and one- 

 seeded. The plants affect rich loam and moor-earth 

 mixed, and may be rooted from cuttings. 



HARE (Lcpus}. A genus of rodent or gnawing 

 mammalia. One of the most remarkable, the most 

 natural, and the most numerous, and to man the 

 most interesting of the whole class. The animals of 

 this genus are distributed, in one species or other, 

 over most countries on the face of the earth ; and 

 though New Holland forms a total, and South Ame- 

 rica a partial, exception, hares properly so called, or 

 the allied subgenera, which agree well with them in 

 their main characters, are found almost everywhere : 

 in the warm countries, on the margins of the deserts, 

 on the sandy downs by the sea shores, in the corn 

 fields, in the upland wilds, and on the tops of the 

 mountains, to the very verge of the never-thawing 

 snow. In longitude they extend round the whole 

 circle of the earth, and their range in latitude is at 

 least from the Cape of Good Hope to the borders of 

 the Polar ice. 



Nor are the principal species held in less estima- 

 tion as human food. In the British islands, the hare 

 is now almost the only four-footed animal, the chase 

 of which in wild nature is anything else than mere 

 sport; and then of those species which live more in 

 society than the common hare, and approach more 

 nearly to a state of domestication, the numbers in 

 favourable situations are so great, that large profits 

 are made by the sale of them. This is especially the 

 case with tiie rabbit. The warrens where those ani- 

 mals are encouraged, in general occupy situations 

 which are not very fit for any other useful purpose ; 

 and the animals breed so fast that a supply or pro- 

 duce, equal to several times the number of the neces- 

 sary stock, may be brought to market every year ; 

 and their successive breeding is so rapid under favour- 

 able circumstances, that rabbits are scarcely ever out 

 of season, if the stock is properly managed ; for as 

 soon as one generation ceases to be fit for the market 

 another is ready to come in. Some of the sandy islands 

 in the bays and estuaries of this country are so per- 

 fectly crosvded with rabbits that the inhabitants scarcely 

 eat anything else ; and they might make the same 

 reply which the Shetland boy made to the third inquiry 

 of the traveller respecting the colefish or " piltocks," 

 which are the principal food of the labouring class 

 in many of those northern islands. " Piltocks" was 

 the answer to what was got for breakfast and for 

 dinner ; and when the question was put as to supper, 

 the reply was, " Whatcou/rf I get but piltocks?" Just 

 so might the people of some of the sandy islands 



reply with regard to rabbit?, more especially the peo- 

 ple of some of the islets in the Bristol Channel. 



The characters of this interesting and extensive 

 genus are, four incisive teeth in the upper jaw, and 

 only two in the under ; six grinders in each side of the 

 upper jaw, and only live in each side of the under. 

 Those grinders are without proper roots, but have bony 

 tubercles upon the surface, broader across the JKW 

 than in the direction of it. The anterior one is a 

 little smaller than those which immediately follow it; 

 and the posterior one is still smaller. All these 

 grinders, except the last one, have their crowns 

 divided into two parts by a transverse furrow, but the 

 last one presents only a few irregularities in the sides. 

 The grinders in the lower jaw have their crowns 

 divided in the same manner as those in the upper ; 

 but they differ from these in having the length along 

 the jaws nearly equal to the breadth across it. By 

 this conformation of the grinders the animals are 

 enabled to masticate bark, twigs, and other very hard 

 substances ; because the grinders apply against each 

 other in such a manner that every one bears upon 

 two, which offers a much stronger resistance than if 

 the action were that of tooth against tooth. The 

 incisive teeth are long and large, and flattened on 

 their external surfaces. Of the four in the upper jaw 

 the two middle or principal ones are long, strong, and 

 divided throughout their length by a deep furrow, the 

 portions on each aide of which are rounded externally ; 

 so that the cutting extremity of the tooth has something 

 the form of a double gouge. Of those prominences 

 the lateral or external one on each tooth is the broadest 

 and strongest ; and thus this apparatus combines 

 the very maximum of mechanical skill and strength 

 in proportion to the quantity of materials. The two 

 shorter incisive teeth, which are external of these, 

 serve chiefly to support them, which they do much 

 more effectually than if they were of the same length. 

 They are rounded in their section, and stand rather 

 broad upon the jaw, by which means they still farther 

 support the two middle ones. The middle ones have 

 an oblique basil on their posterior faces, which brings 

 them up to a chisel-edge on their anterior ones ; and 

 while the body of the tooth is composed of bone 

 which is tough and fibrous, though comparatively soft, 

 the plate of enamel on the anterior or cutting edge is 

 exceedingly hard. This is by no means an uncommon 

 structure of tooth among rodent or gnawing animals ; 

 and no structure can be better adapted for their pur- 

 poses. This tooth wears at the top by the hard 

 substances which the animals divide, and are com- 

 pelled to divide, especially in the winter months, when 

 there is no longer any green food for them. But 

 though it wears, it has no tendency to get blunted, as 

 the supporting bone wears fully as fast as the sup- 

 ported cutting edge ; and as such teeth continue 

 growing at the roots, they remain fit for action during' 

 the life of the owner. The two teeth in the under 

 jaw have cutting edges, and are supported by bone 

 nearly in the same manner as those in the upper. 



The bodies of these animals are as peculiar and 

 characteristic as the forms of their teeth. The fore 

 legs are slender, and in all the species much shorter 

 than the hind legs. The fore legs have five toes 

 armed with claws, which are strong and rather crooked. 

 The third toe is the longest in the foot, and the fifth, 

 or that which answers to the thumb, is short, placed 

 on the metacarpal bones, and does not touch the 

 ground in walking. The hiud feet have only four 



