COMMON HARE. 337 



cheeks hairy, the nostrils circular and connected by a fold 

 with the cleft U{)[)er lip. The eyes are large and promi- 

 nent, the pupil eliptical, and the ears elongated, being 

 about an inch longer than the head. The limbs are 

 slender ; the fore legs are much shorter than the hinder, 

 and have five toes, whereas the latter have but four ; the 

 soles of the feet are completely covered with long coarse 

 hair. The tail is short and recurved. The general colour 

 is a mixture of grey with yellowish and reddish brown, 

 each liair on the back being ringed with grey, black and 

 reddish-yellow, except some of the longer hairs, which 

 are wholly black. The neck, shoulders and limbs are 

 nearly pure yellowish-fawn, the lower breast and belly 

 white. The ears are externally yellowish-grey in front, 

 whitish behind, and terminate in a black tip ; internally 

 they are nearly naked. The tail is black above and 

 white below. 



Young Hares are more ruddy than adults. As already 

 noticed, this animal in northern climates shows a decided 

 tendency to become white in winter, and even in this 

 counti-y a considerable difference may be observed in its 

 winter coat, especially iir aged individuals and in severe 

 seasons. Accidental varieties of an unusually pale colour 

 are sometimes met with, and black Hares have been 

 recorded, but are very rare. 



The average weight of a Hare may be taken at seven 

 to eight pounds, but occasionally they are much heavier. 

 We have known one of eleven pounds, and an instance is 

 recorded in " Loudon's Magazine " of a female which 

 weighed no less than thirteen pounds one ounce and a luill". 



Dimensions : — 



