AY THE FAR WEST. 369 



character. It has its " form " amid long grass or thickets, or in 

 the crevices of rocks, and produces its young above ground. 

 Mark Twain, in his " Roughing It," has credited this species 

 with unusual speed and describes one as bowling along easily 

 at the rate of a mile per minute, but, when startled, to send 

 away at such a pace, that it could be heard whizzing through 

 the air long after it was out of sight. 



Strangers to the Pacific slope frequently indulge in ex- 

 clamations of surprise on seeing it the first time, but if 

 they give vent to their feelings in the presence of veteran 

 pioneers they are sure to be stuffed with a lot of marvellous 

 talcs about its size, fleetness, and the length of its legs and 

 ears. 



An immigrant to Oregon could not find adjectives enough, 

 without indulging in expletives, to express his surprise at 

 the ungainly aspect of such a hare, but he was soon shocked 

 to hear an old hunter assail greenhorns in the most vigorous 

 terms for not knowing the difference between a hare and a 

 mule. "Why, isn't that a hare?" asked the immigrant. 

 " Certainly not," was the response ; " that's a mule, and any 

 one but a fool from the States ought to know it." " But no 

 mule can run like that," said the other. " Oregon mules can," 

 was the answer, " for they are sprung from coyotes and Indian 

 mustangs." The immigrant looked at the speaker in blank 

 amazement, but when his assertion was gravely backed by 

 other settlers present, he could only yield, and say that the 

 Pacific Coast did indeed contain many wonders. He wrote a 

 description of the new " mule " to an Eastern newspaper under 

 the dictation of the pioneer, but, unfortunately for him, the 

 journal published it with comments so pointed that he was 

 afterwards known as the Oregon mule. 



This long-eared creature affords much sport to those army 

 officers on the frontier who keep greyhounds, and many a 

 pleasant day have I had with it myself both with dog and gun. 

 "When started it heads for the highest ground at once, and 

 manages to lead the hounds a jolly run ere it is caught. Not- 

 withstanding its long hind legs and light body, I doubt if it 

 is as swift as the English hare ; at least I have seen few escape 



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