114 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



to be lying within handy distance of a furrow, 

 down which they will run when danger threatens. 

 Where enclosures are small they frequently lie 

 within thirty yards of the fence, through which 

 they can easily pop to make their escape in time 

 of need. As the wheat grows in the spring and 

 gets high enough to hide them when lying close, 

 it becomes a favourite retreat, for quiet is to be 

 obtained there with plenty of delicious, tender 

 food close at hand. A swampy spot is almost 

 sure to contain a hare at that time of year, but 

 it is certain to be a doe expecting a family, for 

 she goes there to obtain coolness from the moist 

 ground, which appears to be very grateful to her 

 at that time. 



Q. Can the sexes be distinguished by the 

 appearance of a hare in its form ? 



A. A doe hare usually lies with its ears more 

 drooping on each side than a jack, whose ears are 

 kept closer together on the nape of its neck. 



Q. Is anything to be learned from the carriage 

 of the ears when running ? 



A. If a hare on being roused carries both ears 

 straight up, pointing forward, it is sure to be a 

 strong, stout hare, and may give a long run before 

 it gets beaten. One that has one ear pointing 

 forward and the other back, and possibly keeps 

 moving the latter up and down, is seldom a hare 

 that will travel far away, though it may prove 

 a very cunning one, and compel a huntsman to 

 use all his craft before the hare is lying at his 

 feet. A hare that lays both its ears flat on its 

 back, and races off as fast as ever it can go, though 

 the hounds may be some distance behind, is of 

 a timorous disposition, and will probably prove 



