THE YOUNG OF THE HARE. 135 



States late in the month of July. The question then 

 arises, were these the second litter of an old hare, 

 or the offspring of one of the last year's females ? 



In ten or twelve days after birth, the young hares 

 leave their nests, and, after that time, they derive very 

 little help, protection, or sustenance from the old one. 

 The young are able to see when born, and are covered 

 with fur of a somewhat darker hue than the coat of 

 the old ones. As they grow older, however, they 

 assume a lighter tint. 



The English rabbit and hare are often found to 

 possess certain cannibal propensities, which lead them to 

 destroy their own offspring. So far as I have observed, 

 or can learn, this has not been noticed in the American 

 hare, which seems to watch the frolics of its young 

 family with much sober joy and attention, sometimes 

 even entering into the sport itself with the youngsters, 

 as a cat will romp with her kittens. 



The American hare exhibits a decided preference for 



dry elevated situations, such as high grounds where pine 

 I- 

 and fir-trees are abundant. This may be because the 



hue of the soil, covered as it is with the fallen foliage, 

 together with the trunks and the rough earth, assimi- 

 late so much with the animal in colour that it will 

 scarcely be noticed, save by the keen eyes of an Indian 

 or an eagle."^ 



* The hare, the ^vorld over, is more frequently found by the sparkle 

 of its eye than by its body being detected. 



