UPLAND SHOOTING. 103 



have a black margin at the outside, and no black mark at the 

 tip, and are also shorter than those of the common Hare. 4th. 

 The upper side of the tail is less black. 5th. The body is 

 grayer than that of the other species of Hare. 6th. Its habits, 

 which are purely those of a Hare, as distinct from those of the 

 Rabbit. 



" Unlike its congener, the Northern or Varying Hare, it does 

 not confine itself to the woods, but is frequently found in open 

 fields, or where there is a slight copse or underbrush. It never 

 burrows, like its closely-allied species, the European Rabbit, but 

 makes its form, which is a slight depression in the ground, shel- 

 tered by some low shrub. It frequently resorts to a stone wall, 

 a heap of stones, or a hollow tree, and sometimes to the burrow 

 of some other animal. Its food consists of bark, buds, grass, 

 wild berries, &c. Its habits are nocturnal. It breeds three 

 times in the season, producing from four to six at a birth. It 

 has not a wide geographical range, being found from New 

 Hampshire to Florida. Its western limits are not yet ascer- 

 tained."— Deia^'s JVat. Hist, of N. York, &c. 



In addition to this, I think it well to observe, that this is a 

 solitary animal, not gregarious and congregating in large com- 

 panies, and not breeding monthly, like the European Rabbit ; 

 and that, so far as my own observation goes, it does not change 

 its color in winter. Dr. Dekay evidently leans to this latter 

 opinion, in spite of other authorities, who have evidently con- 

 founded this with the following species : 



THE NORTHERN HARE. 



Varying Hare — Lepus Virginianus. — Vulgo, White Rabbit. 



" Length of head and body, 20-2.5 inches ; of the hind legs, 

 11^ ; of fore legs, 6fV ; of the head, 3i% ; of the ears, 3i^ ; of 

 the tail, l^^j ; weight, 6|lbs. 



" Head short ; nose blunt ; eyes large and prominent ; ears 

 broad and approximated ; upper anterior incisors long and slen- 



