276 RODENTIA. 



AMEEICAN HAEE OE EABBIT. 

 Lepus americanus. 



French : Lapin d'Amerique. German : Amerikanischer 



Kanin. 



The American Hare, called also the Wood Hare, has 

 for many centuries been called the American Eabbit by 

 the Hudson's Bay officials, and other fur-traders. It is 

 perhaps the only instance of a misnomer among fur- 

 traders ; such errors, however, are common amongst 

 retailers, and are not infrequent even with scientists. 



This Hare is from 9 to 12 inches long. In the 

 summer it is brown like the English Hare, but the under 

 fur is blue instead of white. In this state of pelage it 

 closely resembles a Eabbit, especially as its ears are 

 short. In winter it assumes a whitish or white coat of 

 long fur, the under fur just below turning brown, but 

 retaining the blue colour close to the skin. The ears 

 are tipped with black. The skin is very thin. 



The flesh of this animal is not much esteemed by 

 man, but it is a favourite prey of the Lynx. 



The American Hare is rather numerous, but the 

 quantity of skins imported varies considerably, being 

 very abundant in one year, but not in another, when its 

 enemy the Lynx is more numerous. 36,256 skins were 

 imported in 1891 by the Hudson's Bay Company from 

 Fort York, Moose Eiver, East Maine, and Esquimaux 

 Bay, and about 50,000 by other traders. The skins 

 imported from East Main are tied up neatly into bundles 

 with bass. 



The summer skins are used for cutting, the winter are 



