124 



CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



leg (tibia and fibula) are united together at their lower ends. 

 Three animals common in Britain may be taken as illustrations, 

 i.e. the Rabbit, Hare, and Alpine Hare. 



The Rabbit (Lepus cuniculus) (fig. 84), though so common in 

 the British area, is believed not to be indigenous, and the same 

 may be said of many other countries where it now abounds. Its 



Fig. 84. The Rabbit (Lepus cuniculus) 



original home was probably in the area adjoining either shore 

 of the western Mediterranean. Marked characteristics are gre- 

 gariousness, burrowing habits, and the immature state in which 

 the young are born. The Hare (L. timidus) is a larger animal 

 which is not gregarious and does not burrow, while the newly- 

 born leverets can see, and are scantily clad with fur. The 

 black-tipped ears and very long hind-limbs are also noticeable 

 features. Absent from Ireland, Scandinavia, and North Russia, 

 the hare has a wide distribution over the rest of Europe from 

 Great Britain to the Caucasus. The Alpine Hare (L. variabilis] 

 assumes a white or light-coloured winter coat. In the British 

 area it is found in Scotland and the northern parts of England, 

 while it replaces the common species in Ireland. From our 

 islands it ranges across the northern part of the Old World to 



