THE COMMON HARE. 367 



recorded in the Magazine of Natural History, of one weighing 

 no less than thirteen pounds one ounce and a half. Its upper 

 lip is cleft 5 the inside of the mouth is hairy ; the eyes are large, 

 and so prominent as to receive the rays of light on all sides ; 

 their pupils are horizontally elongated j the ears, which are 

 placed very close to each other at their base, are about an inch 

 longer than the head, and of a yellowish grey colour on the 

 anterior part of the outer surface, whitish behind, and tipped 

 with black; the limbs are slender; the soles of the feet are 

 covered with hair ; the fore-legs have five toes, furnished with 

 thick strong claws $ the hind-legs, which are much longer than 

 the fore, have only four toes ; the tail, which is short and 

 doubled over the rump, is black above, and white beneath. The 

 general colour of the upper parts of the body is a mixture of 

 yellowish brown and grey, and of the under parts white, 

 excepting beneath the neck and anterior portion of the chest, 

 where it is yellowish, which colour prevails between the ears, 

 on the neck, the shoulders, and sides. In the northern parts 

 of Britain, the fur of the hare becomes white in winter, a colour 

 better adapted to the retention of the animal's warmth. In 

 various parts of England varieties in a permanent white dress 

 are sometimes found, as also others of a mixture of white and 

 brown, or even entirely black. 



The hare, notwithstanding the size and prominence of its 

 eyes, is a short-sighted animal ; and hence Shakespeare calls it 

 the " purblind hare." Dr. Farrar observes, " that although 

 hares possess a very wide expanse of sight, they do not enjoy 

 an equally distant one, which is not to be wondered at when we 

 look at the diminutive stature they exhibit; yet for this loss 

 they are compensated by having the sense of hearing very acute 

 from a number of points, though much more from behind than 

 in any other direction. Many persons contend that the hare 

 cannot distinguish sounds immediately before her, which is not 

 unlikely when we consider the bony structure of the external 

 ear j however, this is not absolutely necessary, as her prominent 

 eyes scarcely allow any object to approach her without some 



