HARE KIND. 127 



these in much less quantities than the former ;* 

 and even some have been seen with horns, thougli 

 these but rarely. t 



The hares of the hot countries, particularly in 

 Italy, Spain, and Barbary, are smaller than ours : 

 those bred in the Milanese country are said to be 

 the best in Europe.t. There is scarcely a country 

 where this animal is not to be found, from the 

 torrid zone to the neighbourhood of the polar 

 circle. The natives of Guinea knock them on 

 the head as they come down to the sides of the 

 rivers to drink. They~also surround the place 

 where they are seen in numbers, and clattering a 

 short stick, which every man carries, against that 

 which the person next him carries, they dimmish 

 their circle gradually, till the hares are cooped 

 up in the midst. They then all together throw 

 their sticks in among them, and with such deadly 

 force, that they seldom fail of killing great num- 

 bers at a time. 



The flesh of this animal has been esteemed as 

 a delicacy among some nations, and is held in 

 detestation by others. The Jews, the ancient 

 Britons, and the Mahometans, all considered it 

 as an unclean animal, and religiously abstained 

 from it. On the contrary, there are scarcely any 

 other people, however barbarous at present, that 

 do not consider it as the most agreeable food. 

 Fashion seems to preside and govern all the 



* Klein, Disp. Quadrup. p. 52. 



f Johnston de Quadrup. lib. ii. cap. 2. 



J Dictionnaire Raisonne, Lievre. 



Hist. Gen. des Voyages, torn. iv. p. 171. 



