THE AMERICAN HAKE. 



321 



WINTER COLOR. 



"Very similar to the above; in a few specimens the hairs are 

 whitest at the tips ; in others, black tips prevail. This Hare 

 never becomes white in any part of our country, and so far as 

 our researches have extended we have scarcely found any variety 

 in its color. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Adult Male. 

 Length of head and body 

 " head 



ears 



(( 



tail (vertebrie) 

 " tail, including fur 

 From heel to end of middle claw 



Audubon. 



Weight 2 lbs. 7 oz." 



LOCALITY. 



The Gray Eabbit is met with as far north as New Hamp- 

 shire, and abounds in the Middle, Southern, and Western 

 States. 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



The timid and interesting little creature now under considera- 

 tion, we may say, is universally known as the Eabbit; this ap- 

 pellation, however, notwithstanding its general use, is a very 

 unjust one, as will be learned from the following remarks on 

 this head. 



Those Naturalists who have studied the habits and characte- 

 ristics of the Genus Lepus of America do not hesitate for a 

 moment in placing all the varieties yet met with in their proper 

 rank of Hare. And, moreover, we shall without doubt sur- 

 prise some of our readers when we tell them that we have no 

 Eabbit, that is, true Babbit, indigenous to this country. 



The Hare and Eabbit so closely resemble each other in many 

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