THE HARE 



243 



An animal so well-known requires little description save 

 for comparison with some thirty other species, most of 

 which are confined to the Northern Hemisphere. In the 

 whole of South America, for example, there is but the 

 Brazilian Hare. 



The Common Hare is about two feet long and clothed 

 in reddish-brown fur, with white upon the chin and belly. 

 The tips of the ears are blackish, as is the top of the short 

 tail. The hind legs are longer than the fore limbs and the 

 feet are hairy. It possesses the distinguishing feature of the 

 sub-order, viz., four incisors instead of two in the upper jaw. 

 A full-sized animal will weigh eight or nine pounds. 



All the members 

 of the family are 

 markedly shy and 

 timid ; their sole 

 means of defence 

 is their speed. 

 The ears are 

 longer than the 

 head and adapted 

 to catch the 

 slightest sound; 

 the eyes are large 

 and prominent, 

 and said to be 

 open even when 



the animal is asleep. In any case they are placed so that 

 to a great extent the animal can see backwards while it 

 is on the run forwards. 



The Hare prefers dry flat grounds, where it feeds chiefly 

 by night, during the day lying concealed in its ' form/ 

 It is a strictly herbivorous animal, its food consisting of a 

 variety of herbage, but it is very fond of young corn, and 

 sometimes, especially in winter, ruins plantations of young 

 trees by gnawing off the bark as high as it can reach. 



In quite early times the Kings of England enacted game 

 laws which assured to the owners of land certain animals 

 and birds found thereon. For one of the common people 

 to be detected killing a deer entailed the loss of the culprit's 



JAWS OF THE HARE. 



