HARE KIND. 141 



The Syrian rabbit, like all other animals bred 

 in that country, is remarkable for the length of 

 its hair ; it falls along the sides in wavy wreaths, 

 and is, in some places, curled at the end, like 

 wool : it is shed once a-year in large masses j and 

 it often happens that the rabbit, dragging a part 

 of its robe on the ground, appears as if it had got 

 another leg, or a longer tail. There are no rab- 

 bits naturally in America ; however, those that 

 have been carried from Europe are found to mul- 

 tiply in the "West India islands in great abun- 

 dance. In other parts of that continent they 

 have animals that in some measure resemble the 

 rabbits of Europe ; and which most European 

 travellers have often called hares or rabbits, as 

 they happened to be large or small. Their giving 

 them even the name will be a sufficient excuse 

 for my placing them among animals of the hare 

 kind ; although they may differ in many of .the 

 most essential particulars. But before we go to 

 the new continent, we will first examine such as 

 bear even a distant resemblance to the hare kind 

 at home. 



THE SQUIRREL. 



THERE are few readers that are not as well ac- 

 quainted with the figure of a squirrel as that of 

 the rabbit ; but supposing it unknown to any, we 

 might give them some idea of its form, by com- 

 paring it to a rabbit, with shorter ears, and a 



