rilR PURSUIT OF rilE HARE 



A lew of the exceptional instances of the hare's 

 cunning \vhich have come under my personal obser- 

 vation may be mentioned. A hunted hare will occa- 

 sionally lie down alongside a fresh one, evidently in 

 the hope that when both jump up the burden of the 

 chase may be shifted on to the fresh animal. This 

 manoeuvre is very similar to the well-known ruse of 

 the hunted stag, wlio will rouse a younger animal 

 from his lair, and lie down in it himself. In stone- 

 wall countries a hare will sometimes run a consider- 

 able distance along the top of a wall, and then jump 

 down and make off ; but she will never do this unless 

 she thinks she is unobserved. I once lost a hare 

 three times unaccountably at exactly the same place. 

 On the third occasion a heavy snowstorm came on 

 at the time, and everyone w^ent off to the nearest 

 shelter. Whilst we were away a man on foot went 

 into a pigstye, which hounds had passed some dis- 

 tance before they threw^ up, and there found the hare, 

 which got away in safety. No doubt she had doubled 

 straight back on her line before taking refuge, and had 

 practised this manoeuvre on all three occasions. 



Now and then hares wnll go to ground either in a 

 rabbit-hole or a culvert. They will rarely do this till 

 they are pretty well beaten, and when they have 

 sought shelter in this manner they should always be 



