THE BABBIT. 



239 



In a rabbit hunt with dogs, a rabbit will certainly be 

 seen to run in circles, repeatedly crossing its former tracks, 

 throwing the dogs off the scent. 



The simple " form " the rabbit makes for itself for a 

 resting place in the grass ; the retreats it finds in hol- 

 low logs and stumps, and in the deep burrows of other 

 animals ; and the shallow, fur-lined burrow which it makes 

 for itself in dry, loose soil, for a home in which to rear 

 its interesting brood, 

 should all be studied in 

 the field. 



The live rabbit should be 

 studied in the laboratory. 

 Its postures should be 

 noted. It should be deter- 

 mined whether the rabbit 

 ever walks, how fore feet 

 and hind feet are used in 

 locomotion, in what direc- 

 tion it cannot see without 

 turning its head, whether 

 it shifts its ears to suit 

 the direction from which 



a sound is coming, etc. GRAY EABBIT (Lepus sylvaticus). 



External Features. Note its covering of hair. Ob- 

 serve that the hairs are of three principal sorts : 



1. Short, soft, kinky hairs, which make up the greater 

 part of its coat, and which collectively constitute fur. 



2. Fewer, longer, straight, black-tipped hairs, which 

 protrude through the fur. 



3. Long, stiff, tactile hairs (or whiskers) at the sides of 

 the upper lip, and above and below the eyes, deep seated 

 in the skin, and intimately connected with nerve endings. 



Note the color of the fur at the surface, and next the 



