HARES. 107 



Hares begin to breed when they are about a year old, and pro- 

 duce several broods each year, each consisting of from two to five 

 young. I have been informed that in New Zealand hares usually 

 produce three or four young in a litter, whereas in England they 

 seldom have more than two. It is also stated that the animals are 

 larger here than in Britain. Both statements require verification, 

 but if these are facts they are probably due only to the abundance 

 of the food-supply. 



It is just about fifty years since hares were first introduced into 

 New Zealand, and the most remarkable thing about this fact is 

 that the numbers originally brought here were so small. The 

 Otago Acclimatization Society appear to have been the first to bring 

 them here. They got three from Geelong, in Victoria, in 1867. 

 ana liberated them at Waihola, where two years later they were 

 reported to be plentiful. Another was obtained in 1868, and three 

 more in 1875. The Canterbury Society got two in 1868 and four 

 in 1873. The Southland Society imported some (the number is not 

 recorded) in 1869 from Victoria, two more in 1871, and two in 

 1874, . and then forty in 1887. The Nelson Society introduced 

 some (again the number is not .specified) in 1872, and it is stated 

 that these increased so rapidly as to become a nuisance in the 

 district. These are all the records I can find of importations from 

 abroad into the South Island, and, considering the casual manner 

 and small numbers in which they were introduced, their subsequent 

 increase is most remarkable. They soon spread all over the flatter 

 parts of the Island, keeping mostly about cultivated land, and 

 especially in districts where rabbits were^ not abundant. They are 

 now common from Foveaux Strait to Cook Strait. 



In the North Island the Auckland Society introduced two hares 

 in 1868 and nine in 1871. I can find no other record. From the 

 Auckland District they spread south, and other acclimatization 

 societies assisted to distribute them far and wide. Wellington 

 liberated two in 1874, fourteen in 1875, and four in 1876; and 

 in 1885 reported them as " numerous in the vicinity of Wellington 

 and the lower end of the Wairarapa Valley." In more recent 

 years they are reported as in large numbers about Marton, in- 

 creasing about Pahiatua, and as seen in almost every part of the 

 Eketahuna district. The Taranaki Society introduced them in 

 1876, and they were reported as thriving in 1884. On Mount 



