THE ALPINE OR WHITE HARE. 113 



(contrary to their usual practice) kept watching, and allowed 

 me several times to come within a hundred yards. I was at 

 first surprised, but the explanation soon occurred to me that 

 it had young ones in the heather. I had thus a good oppor- 

 tunity of noticing the commencement of its change of colour. 

 The head was quite grey, and the back nearly so ; which parts 

 are the last to lose, as well as the first to put on, the summer 

 dress. I shot one nearly in the same stage, on the 22d of 

 November 1839. The only difference was, that the whole 

 coat of the former appeared less pure. This is easily accounted 

 for, as in winter the creature, though receiving a fresh acces- 

 sion of hair, loses none of the old, which also becomes white ; 

 whereas in spring it casts it all, like other animals. Thus, by 

 a merciful provision, its winter covering is doubly thick ; while 

 at the same time, being the colour of snow (with which our 

 hills are generally whitened at that time of year), it can more 

 easily elude its numerous foes. The same remark applies to 

 the ptarmigan. 



I twice shot fine specimens of the alpine and common hare 

 on the same day. The difference between them, when thus 

 closely compared, was very perceptible. The head of the 

 alpine was much rounder, which was rendered more obvious 

 by the shortness of its ears. The scut was also ludicrously 

 small ; while the roundness of the body was increased by the 

 soft and very thick coat of fur, which made that of the com- 

 mon hare appear hard and wiry. One of the alpine hares was 

 shot on the 17th of September; there was not the least ap- 

 pearance of the change of colour. The other, shot on the 6th 

 of October, had a few silver hairs about the toes. On the 

 llth I shot another which had the feet and half the hind 

 legs white, and was a little silvered behind the ears. On the 

 2d of December I shot another couple : the lower part of the 

 body and hind legs were like swan's down, the back and sides 

 grizzled, and the only unchanged parts were the crown of the 

 head and cheeks. The last day I went after them was on the 



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