MAMMALS. 



f.S'.l 



Arctic foxes, and the like. It is protective in its character; for the white 

 tends to make the animal less easily seen on the fields of snow which 

 linger for many months in winter, while the darker color agrees better 

 with the general character of the same region in the short summer when 



the snow is gone. 





Fig. 481. — Hares (Lepus timidus). 



The pikas, or 'little chief hares of the mountains of the west, are 

 curious relatives of the true hares. They lack the long ears of the true 

 hares, and even bunny's short tail is lacking. They live among the rocks, 

 in small communities, and lay up a store of provisions in summer to carry 

 them through the winter. They are timid little creatures ; but may often 

 be seen sitting upright like marmots on the rocks around their burrows, 

 and uttering at short intervals their sharp, shrill, barking cry. 



