I 





BROWN HARE 117 



pleasure ; but when terrorised by the imminence of attack by a 

 Stoat the Rabbit finds its voice and gives utterance to a loud 

 scream of agony. This has been referred to in the account of 

 the Stoat (anfe, p. 68). 



Brown Hare (Lepus europaus, Pallas). 



Although in general form and structure the Hare is similar 

 to the closely related Rabbit, there are differences so great as 

 to have induced recent systematists to put them into different 

 genera ; and, even superficially, they are sufficiently unlike to 

 enable country-folk to keep them distinct under different names. 

 These differences are evident in the longer body, the great 

 length of the hind limbs, the longer ears with their invariable 

 black tips, and the tawny colour of the fur of the upper parts. 

 To these distinctions they can add the patent facts that whilst 

 the Rabbit is a sociable beast, associating in large communities, 

 the Hare is as solitary and retired as a hermit. 



There has never been any suggestion that the Hare's title to 

 rank as a real native of Britain is open to doubt, for its name is 

 Anglo-Saxon, and identical with that in use in Denmark and 

 Sweden. It is widely distributed in England, Wales and 

 Scotland up to about 2000 feet elevation ; but in Ireland (which 

 has a separate species of its own) the Brown Hare is not a 

 native. It has been a favourite animal of the chase from the 

 earliest times of which we have records ; and our ancient 

 sportsmen had age-names for it as for Deer. Thus, in its first 

 year it was a Leveret, in the second year a Hare, and in the 

 third a Great Hare. The male is distinguished as Jack-Hare, 

 and the female as Doe. 



The total length of the Hare is about twenty-four inches, to 

 which the tail contributes three inches and two-thirds, and the 

 head nearly four inches. The ears fall short of five inches. 

 The weight averages about eight pounds. The tawny fur of the 

 upper side is harsher than that of the Rabbit, which is due to 



