III. Order Rodentia, or Gnawing Mammals 



Common, or Brown, Hare. — Lepus europoeus, to give 

 the Hare its full scientific name (Fig. 9), is at all times an 

 interesting animal to watch, and, truth to tell, it seems 

 almost as curious itself as regards those who come upon 

 its track. It has the habit, when bolting across country 

 with much fleetness of foot, of suddenly calling a halt, 

 sitting on its haunches with ears raised expectant, ready 

 at a second's warning to place a safer distance between 

 it and the observer. 



It loves, best of all, wide, undulating fields where there 

 is naught to hinder its free, open life. It rarely frequents 

 woods, though, on occasions, it shows a liking for planta- 

 tions, where, beneath the young trees, there is a plentiful 

 supply of tangled vegetation. When disturbed, it soon 

 gets going, traversing a large area of ground with amazing 

 swiftness and evenness of foot. If it wishes to cross from 

 one field to another, it will make for a gap in the hedge, 

 and if it is hard pressed, and it is necessary to swim a 



stream, it vnW readily do so. 

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