28 The Amateur Poacher 



upon these before the two foremost are put forth, and 

 so presses not only the paw proper but the whole first 

 joint of the hind leg upon the snow. A glance at the 

 hind feet of a rabbit will show what I mean : they will 

 be found to display plain signs of friction against the 

 ground. 



The habit has given the creature considerable 

 power of standing up on the hinder feet ; he can not 

 only sit on his haunches, but raise himself almost up- 

 right, and remain in that position to listen for some 

 little time. For the same reason he can bark the ash 

 saplings higher up than would be imagined : where he 

 cannot reach, the mice climb up and nibble straight 

 lines across the young pole, as if done with a single 

 stroke from a saw that scraped away the rind but 

 did not reach the wood. 



In front of a large rabbit bury the grass will be 

 found discoloured with sand at some distance from 

 the mouth of the hole. This is explained by particles 

 adherent to the rabbits' hind feet, and rubbing off 

 against the grass blades. Country people call this 

 peculiar gait * sloppetting ; ' and one result of it is 

 that the rabbits wear away the grass where they are 

 numerous almost as much as they eat it away. 



There was such a space worn by the attrition of 

 feet sprinkled with sand before the extensive burrow 



