COLOUR OF THE HARE. 133 



English kinsman, being well aware of this fact, inva- 

 riably makes towards rising ground when disturbed or 

 chased. 



It is a common opinion that the hare is unable to 

 see direct]}^ before her. Anyone who will take parti- 

 cular notice of a hare's eyes, will observe that they are 

 so situated as to enable the animal to command a view 

 of nearly a whole circle, and that^ too, without moving 

 its head. These eyes are always open, whether sleeping 

 or waking : in fact, they are so protuberant that the 

 lids are not large enough to cover them. The nostrils 

 are frequently moved during sleep, and the eye-lids 

 seem to wink ; yet, although its eyes are so formed as 

 to enable it to discover impending danger in any 

 quarter, the hare is often seen running towards the 

 very dogs from which she wishes to escape. 



In summer time the hare closety resembles the 

 bushes and various kinds of ground on which it makes 

 its form ; and this circumstance, no doubt, enables it to 

 avoid many enemies. The hunter must not expect 

 from this assertion to find green hares running about 

 on green prairies ;' the table-lands of the West some- 

 times exhibit a lack of verdure which would scarcely 

 be credited, as the grass is scorched brown by the sun. 

 Poetical ideas of pr^irie-land fade away when the tra- 

 veller approaches the great plains to the north of Texas, 

 on the borders of the Upper Missouri, or the Yellow- 

 stone rivers. Instead of green pastures, — only awaiting 



