6l2 



THE NATURE BOOK 



their eyes in sleep, 

 doubt on this point ; 

 quahtication, that a 

 eyes in sleep. That 

 Hare close his eyes 

 and retain them closed 

 voluntarily for any 

 length of time, is prob- 

 ably due to the fact 

 that I have never 

 gained a Hare's con- 

 fidence so completely 

 as Mr. Drane. That a 

 Hare can close his 

 eyes is indisputable. 

 He will sometimes do 

 so temporarily ^^■hile 

 you stroke him. 



Millais quotes with 

 approval Zola's de- 

 scription of a Hare's 

 eyes as presenting " a 

 bleak and frigid stare 

 which does not seem 

 to see," or, " an ever- 

 haunting absent look 



]\Ir. Drane has no 

 he declares, without 

 Hare does close his 

 I have never seen a 



FORE 



Showing the small incisors' situation be- 

 hind the larger ones ; a peculiarity of 



dentition which is 

 Hares and Rabbits. 



as of 



her sufferings o\'erwhelmed." 



one \\'hom 



With these 

 flowers of rhetoric no one who has kept a 

 Hare can agree for a moment. A Hare's 

 eyes are singularly expressive, and, of all 

 the qualities which can be predicated of 

 them, width and intelligence of vision are legs brings 



Drane's conception is probably based on 

 the unsportsmanlike instinct which impels 

 the fighting Rabbit to " bite below the 

 belt." The Hare shows a strong aversion 



to the Rabbit, perhaps 

 for this reason. 



A few other pecu- 

 liarities of the Hare 

 may be noticed. On 

 rising from his " form " 

 he often throws back 

 his head, arches his 

 hindquarters, and 



stretches from the fore 

 feet backwards — wild 

 Rabbits often make a 

 similar back - stretch. 

 Sometimes he stands 

 up on end and shakes 

 himself while standing, 

 a movement which is 

 always accompanied 

 by a quick shuffle of 

 the fore feet. He has 

 several curious basking 

 positions. A favourite one is the fullest 

 possible extension of himself, with his 

 hind legs pointing backwards, and his 

 fore legs pointing forwards. In another, 

 Iwth hind and fore legs are pointing for- 

 ward, and the great length of his hind 



PORTION OF A LEVERET'S 

 UPPER JAW. 



characteristic of the 



the most obvious. 



One of the many engaging attributes 

 of a Hare is his method of displaying 

 resentment. Chuck a Hare under the chin, 

 rear on his hind legs, grunt 

 drum with his fore feet on 

 This drumming (quick alter- 

 of the fore paws) is the 



and he will 

 angrily, and 

 your hand, 

 nate strokes 



Hare's main method of defence. His 

 attack is a double-barrelled flying kick 

 like that of the Rabbit. The drum- 

 ming habit has been so taken advantage 

 of, that instances are recorded of Hares 

 having been trained to play tambourines. 

 The performance seldom lasts long under 

 ordinary conditions, for, realising its in- 

 efticiency, Puss soon relapses into sulks, 

 with a look which shows as plainly as 

 speech that your attentions are a little 

 childish. He is far too much of a gentle- 

 though he may nibble at 

 )iting is left to the Rabbit, 

 Drane rather unkindly 

 as a " little cad." Mr. 



man to bite, 

 your hand ; 

 whom Mr. 

 characterises 



all four of his feet in line, 

 with his head thrown back behind them. 

 Like a Rabbit, he is incapable of lying 

 on his back, or in any curled position, 

 and I have never seen him lie with both 

 hind legs on the same side of him and 

 his body skewed round — a position which 

 Bunny Rabbit is rather fond of. 



There is some question as to the voice 

 of the Hare. Only two sounds have come 

 within my experience. If annoyed he 

 makes a snuffling grunt of disapproval, 

 and if in an agony of fear, he utters a 

 loud scream, which, like the leveret's, 

 has the same quality as the squeak of a 

 ]")noumatic tov. 



Hare-pipes " are frequently mentioned 

 by the old writers, and also in the Statutes 

 relating to game. In the latter they are, 

 I think, without exception, placed in the 

 same category as nets and gins, and it is, 

 to say the least of it, doubtful whether 

 the expression was e\'er used by an authori- 

 tative writer in any other sense. It is 

 right to point out, however, that several 



