NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HARE 



in Europe the brown hare seems to be at home in all 

 the more temperate countries. It shows a decided 

 aversion to damp climates, thriving best in a mode- 

 rately dry atmosphere. The high mountains and 

 bleak plateaus of Central and Northern Europe are 

 naturally ill adapted to the constitution of the brown 

 hare. Accordingly this animal is replaced in elevated 

 or inclement regions by the blue or variable hare, 

 which contrives to pick up a living in the most deso- 

 late and forbidding districts. It is this animal which 

 takes the place of the brown hare in Ireland. Some 

 naturalists have separated the Irish variety of the 

 variable hare from the typical form, but it is question- 

 able whether such a step can be considered prudent. 

 As for the brown hare, it must be said that consider- 

 able differences exist between examples obtained in 

 Northern and Southern Europe. I have not been 

 able to investigate this point personally. Mr. Oldfield 

 Thomas tells me that no adequate material for study 

 as yet exists at the Natural History Museum. In the 

 absence of a fresh series, we are thrown back upon the 

 conclusions of Blasius, who investigated the subject 

 some years ago. The skins which he examined had 

 been obtained from different parts of Europe. Their 

 study induced him to believe that we should recog- 

 nise three distinct races of the brown hare. Of these, 



