THE HARE. 583 



temporary abode. Although she has no definite home, the hare is strongly attached to 

 her " form," wherever it may be placed, and even if driven to a great distance by the 

 hounds, contrives to regain her little domicile at the earliest opportunity. As the vary- 

 ing seasons of the year bring on their varied accompaniments of heat and cold, rain 

 and drought, or clouds and sunshine, the Hare changes the locality of her " form," so 

 as to be equally defended against the bitter frost and snows of winter, or the blazing 

 rays of the noontide summer sun. 



In countries where the snow lies deep in winter, the Hare lies very comfortably un- 

 der the white mantle which envelops the earth, in a little cave of her own construction. 

 She does not attempt to leave her form as the snow falls heavily around her, but only 

 presses it backward and forward by the movement of her body, so as to leave a small 



HARE. Lepus tlmlaus. 



space between herself and the snow. By degrees the feathery flakes are formed into 

 a kind of domed chamber, which entirely incloses the inhabitant, with the exception of 

 a little round hole which is preserved by her warm breath, and serves as a ventilating 

 aperture. This air-hole is often the means of her destruction as well as of her safety, 

 for the scent which issues from the aperture betrays her presence to the keen nostrils 

 of the dogs which accompany the solitary hare-hunter, and which are trained to search 

 for these air-holes and stand sentinels over them until their master arrives and cap- 

 tures the hidden victim. 



When " preserved " in great numbers, the Hare is a most troublesome neighbor to 

 the farmer, as it does great damage to the crops of all kinds, eating the tender blades of 

 wheat almost as soon as they peep through the earth, invading the garden, and even 

 destroying great quantities of young trees, by nibbling the green bark from the whole of 



