THE PURSUIT OF THE HARE 213 



practised some of her manceuvres without success, 

 she will generally lie down after doubling back on her 

 own track and striking out sideways for a few yards, and 

 having done this, there she wdll stay till hounds have 

 l)assed her, and then sometimes steal away when she 

 thinks she is unobserved ; but she will more often 

 remain till the close proximity of man or hound 

 induces her again to seek safety in flight. In the 

 early part of the season a hare will stop and lie 

 down in this way frequently, but after Christmas and 

 later they keep going mOre continuously, and are 

 often never viewed after the start till they are pretty 

 well beaten ; indeed, after February comes in a jack 

 hare takes a great deal of tiring. He is engaged in 

 either fighting or love-making all night, he grows lean 

 and spare, and withal as hard as he can possibly be. 

 When he first gets up he often appears to run slowly, 

 as if stiff, which perhaps he is after his night's 

 exertions ; but w^hen once he warms to his work he 

 will lead his pursuers many a mile before he succumbs, 

 and if it is a bad scenting day a good jack hare will 

 generally get the best of it at this time of year. 



A hare that runs along a road for a considerable 

 distance affords one of the main difficulties a hare- 

 hunter has to encounter. If the master owns a really 

 good road hound he has a valuable treasure ; very 



