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NOTES AND QUERIES. 



MAMMALIA. 



Leaping Powers of the Hare. — While rambling in the winter-time 

 over the snow-covered plains in this region, I have recently interested 

 myself in ascertaining how far, on a level surface, a Hare or Rabbit may 

 leap at each spring, at a time when either of these animals is put to its 

 best speed. Two species of Lepus are quite abundant in this vicinity, viz., 

 the Mexican Hare (L. callotis callotis), and the Sage Hare, which is really 

 a medium-sized Rabbit (L. sylvaticus Nuttalli), while the first-meutioued is 

 a big Hare. It is not uncommon to find here, in certain localities, a 

 stretch of perfectly level prairie extending for a distance of three or four 

 miles, and when this is covered by an even layer of one inch or more of 

 snow, it offers an admirable surface on which to take account of the distance 

 which may separate any two tracks of one of these animals, either one 

 made by a Hare, or one made by one of the Rabbits. On such a prairie as 

 I have just referred to, I have on numerous occasions fired at these animals 

 when they have been running, and at the same time beyond the range of 

 my fowling-piece ; such a shot almost invariably has the effect of so alarming 

 the game as to make it run at its very best rate of speed, and upon coming 

 up with the tracks they have left on the snow at such times, I have been 

 surprised at the distances they can clear at each individual leap. Under 

 these conditions I once measured the spaces cleared by an old Mexican 

 Hare, and found the first two equalled 12 ft. apiece, while the third effort 

 was rather more than 1 3 ft., and 1 have never known this species to exceed 

 this, although I have tested not a few of them. Of course the Rabbit 

 cannot compete with such magnificent gymnastics as this : it will, how- 

 ever, when thus frightened, make leaps of fully (3 ft. ; and on one occasion 

 I measured one on the dead-level prairie, which was rather more than 7 ft. 

 At their common rate of going the Hare rarely clears more than 4 ft. at any 

 single leap, while the Rabbit is satisfied with rather more than 2 ft., and, 

 when quietly feeding about the sage-brush, the tracks made by an individual 

 of either species may actually overlap each other.— R. W. Shufeldt (Fort 

 ■VVmgate, New Mexico, Dec. 6th, 1887). 



[If any of our readers have made similar experiments with English and 

 Scotch Hares we should be glad to receive details for publication. — Ed.] 



Hare ; number of Young at a Birth.— My keeper (J. Shave) found a 

 Hare's form last week containing five leverets not more than a day old ; 

 they were evidently one litter, for they were all of "one size. Shave, who 

 has had a long and wide experience, tells me he has never found more than 

 three in any Hare out of the many hundreds lie has " paunched," and that 



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