378 



THE RODENTS OR GNAWING ANIMALS. 



less they cannot be exterminated without the help 

 of some natural antagonists such as Ferrets. Unless 

 Polecats, Weasels or Martens have multiplied con- 

 siderably in a particular locality, or there are Screech 

 Owls or other kindred birds of prey to destroy them, 

 a diminution of their numbers is of rare occurrence. 

 Rabbits Often a In localities favorable to their mul- 

 Menace to Agri- tiplication, Rabbits may become a 

 culture. rea i p es t and exceedingly prejudi- 



cial to agriculture. In New Zealand and in Aus- 

 tralia, where they have prodigiously multiplied in 

 some localities to such an extent as to entirely 



AMERICAN VAEYING HARE. This is the typical American spe- 

 cies of the Hare family, of which there are many varieties, the one shown in 

 the picture being scientifically known as Baird's variety, inhabiting the 

 Rocky mountain region. {Lepus americanus bairdii.) 



consume the pasturage of domestic Cattle, the at- 

 tempt to exterminate them has so far been in vain. 

 How seriously damage caused by them is estimated 

 may be seen from the fact that the government of 

 New South Wales has expended over one million 

 pounds sterling in bounties for the killing of the 

 animals during the last decade and finally promised 

 a reward of fifty thousand pounds to the inventor 

 of an effective method of exterminating the pests. 

 Poison, nooses, Ferrets, wire fences, etc., have proved 

 insufficient to check the damage done by these 

 Rodents. An experiment, said to be successful in 

 France at least, has been made in that country by 

 Pasteur. His plan to exterminate Rabbits quickly 

 and thoroughly is to infect them with Chicken chol- 

 era by mixing with their food the germs producing 

 the disease; the experiment has been repeated in 

 Australia on a large scale, but is said to have been 

 unsuccessful. 



Origin The tame Rabbit undoubtedly owes 



of the Tame its parentage to the wild one; for 



Rabbit. while the latter may be tamed in a 



short time, the former returns to the wild state com- 

 pletely in a few months, if left alone by Man, and in 

 such cases its offspring have the coloring of the wild 

 ones. Tame Rabbits are usually kept in a hutch 

 having a stone or wooden floor, and provided with 

 artificial places for concealment, consisting either of 

 long boxes with several branches or apartments or 

 artificial burrows in the walls; they are given a good 

 supply of straw and dry moss, protected against 

 cold in winter and fed with hay, grass, leaves, etc. 

 Some Varieties of The Silver-colored, the Russian and 

 the Domestic the Angora or Silky Rabbit are vari- 



Rabbit. e tj es f the domestic Rabbit. The 



first is larger than the Common species and usually 



of a bluish gray hue with a silvery or dark tint. 

 The Russian Rabbit is gray, with brown head and 

 ears, and it is distinguished by a dewlap under the 

 throat. The Angora Rabbit has shorter ears and 

 thickset, soft fur; its long, wavy hair often reaches 

 to the ground and is of a silky lustre. Unfortu- 

 nately it is of very delicate constitution and requires 

 great care. Attempts to introduce it into other por- 

 tions of Europe have failed. 



North America The Hare famil y has its greatest develop- 

 Abounds in me "t in North America, which contains 

 Hares more than twenty species and varieties. 



Among these are anjmals that illustrate all 

 the differences in structure and habits known to this family. 

 from the largest slender Hare to the smallest and fattest Rab- 

 bit; species that burrow like the Rabbit of Europe, in under- 

 ground retreats, while others like the Common Hare crouch in 

 shallow "forms" which scarce conceal them from view. 



The Polar Hare because of its close resemblance to th 5 

 a Northern ' Mountain or Alpine Hare the Polar Haio- 

 Varietu (Lepus glacialis) is considered as the near- 



*' est connecting link between the Hares of 



the Old and New Worlds. The northern varieties of the 

 Mountain Hare change their coat with the seasons and except 

 for a brownish tinge on the ears and limbs-, turn white in the 

 winter, and these arctic varieties are, by some authorities, 

 separated into a distinct species under the name of the Vary- 

 ing Hare {Lcpus itariabilis) because of this change of coat. 

 The Polar Hare, however, is white all the year round except 

 the tips of the ears, which are black. It attains a weight of 

 from eight to ten pounds. This Hare occupies a burrow whicli 

 consists of a hole about four feet in length, extending horizon- 

 tally into a snowdrift. The number of young composing a 

 litter of these Hares is seven or eight. This species has been 

 found inhabiting the highest latitudes yet visited by Man. Sir 

 George Nares found it on the shores of Grinnell Land, and by 

 observing its footprints in the snow obtained evidence of its 



NORTHERN PRAIRIE HARE. This is the most northern species 



of the group of Hares, familiarly known in the United States as Jack Rabbits 

 because of their large size and enormous ears. They arc lively animals of 

 astounding jumping powers. {Lepus campestris.) 



existence in latitude 83 io', about twenty miles north of the 

 nearest land. In these high northern latitudes this animal 

 "subsists on the stoneworts and other hardy plants which form 

 the scanty vegetation of the circumpolar valleys." 



A species which has an especially wide dis- 

 tribution is the American Varying Hare 

 (Lepus americanus) which is found in all 

 the regions from the arctic barren grounds 

 This species differs from the Mountain Hare 

 of Europe in its relatively smaller ears and smaller size, but 

 like that animal changes its fur during winter. This change 

 is more marked in the more northern varieties, and the nearer 

 the approach is to the arctic regions the more closely the color 

 of this Hare's winter fur approximates to the snow white of the 



The American 



Varying Hare's 



Wide Range. 



to New Mexico. 



