THE HARE AND HER NATURE 17 



in her love that hunters call ryding time, for then 

 she crotieth her fumes more burnt (drier) and 

 smaller, especially the male. The hare liveth no 

 long time, for with great pain may she pass the 

 second ^ year, though she be not hunted or slain. 

 She hath bad sight ^ and great fear to run ^ on 

 account of the great dryness of her sinews. She 

 windeth far men when they seek her. When 

 hounds grede of her (seek) and quest her she 

 flieth away for the fear that she hath of the 

 hounds. Sometimes men find her sitting in her 

 form, and sometimes she is bitten (taken) by 

 hounds in her form before she starts. They 

 that abide in the form till they be found are 

 commonly stout hares, and well running. The 

 hare that runneth with right standing ears is 

 but little afraid, and is strong, and yet when she 

 holdeth one ear upright and the other laid low 

 on her ryge (back), she feareth but little the 

 hounds. An hare that crumps her tail upon her 

 rump when she starteth out of her form as a 



^ A mistake of the old scribes which occurs also in other 

 MSS.; it should, of course, read " seventh '' year. G. de F. has 

 the correct version. 



2 G. de F. says : " She hears well but has bad sight," p. 43. 



' " Fear to run " is a mistake occasioned by the similarity 

 of the two old French words "pouair," power, and "paour" 

 or fear. In those of the original French MS. of G. de F. 

 examined by us it is certainly "power" and not "fear." 

 Lavallée in his introduction says the same thing. See Ap- 

 pendix : Hare. 



B 



