PICAS AND HARES. 197 
species ; and when pursued generally take refuge in holes. Of the Tibetan species, 
the Afghan hare (L. tibetanus), which is found as low as five hundred feet above 
the sea, is distinguished by the black upper surface of the tail; while in the woolly 
hare (Z. ovostolus) and upland hare (LZ. hypsibius) both surfaces of the tail are 
nearly or quite white. The latter species does not occur below fourteen thousand 
or fifteen thousand feet; and I have found it in swarms among eleagnus bush in 
the higher valleys of the Ladak. 
The most remarkable of the Indian species is, however, the hispid hare (L. 
hispidus), inhabiting the foot of the Eastern Himalaya. In this hare the ears are 
shorter than the skull, the eyes small, the ears coarse and bristly, the tail dark both 
above and below, and the hind-legs scarcely longer than the front pair. Although 
not gregarious, this species is said to burrow like a rabbit; and probably, therefore, 
produces blind and naked young. Its flesh is reported to be white. An allied 
species (LZ. nitscheri) inhabits Sumatra. 
In Africa hares are found from Egypt to the Cape; those from 
South Africa afford but poor sport, as their speed is not great, and 
when pursued they almost invariably run to ground. Moreover, some of them at 
least, are very foul feeders. The Egyptian hare (1. wgyptius) is considerably 
smaller than the common species, but with relatively longer ears, and paler fur. 
Of the Cape species, the rock-hare (Z. saxatilis) is nearly equal in size to the 
common European hare, and has relatively long limbs and ears, with the fur rufous 
above and dirty white below. The Cape hare (LZ. capensis) differs by its shorter 
legs, and the absence of a rufous tinge on the back of the neck, and the yellowish 
colour of the throat; when hunted, it always carries the ears erect. Lastly, we 
have the small thick-tailed hare (LZ. crassicaudatus), which is not larger than a 
rabbit, and is of a foxy-red colour above, paler beneath, with the large and thick 
tail of the same rufous tint as the body. This species, which has very short legs, 
is confined to the highlands, ranging from the Cape Colony to the Transvaal. 
African Species. 
THE Rappit (Lepus cuniculus). 
From the foregoing account of the non-European species of hares it will be 
gathered that some of them show a transition, both as regards form and habits 
from the European hare in the direction of the rabbit, although none of them are 
as gregarious as the latter, and, with one probable exception, none produce blind 
offspring. On these grounds the rabbit cannot be separated generically from the 
hare. The rabbit is characterised by its small size, relatively short ears, which about 
equal the length of the head, its small head, and the comparatively slight elongation 
of the hind-legs. The general colour is greyish brown, with the neck reddish fawn, 
the under-parts and lower surface of the tail white, and, at most, only the margins 
of the tips of the ears white. Black, fawn, or parti-coloured individuals are, how- 
ever, at times met with even in the wild state. The length of the rabbit is usually 
about 164 inches; and its weight from 24 to 3 lbs. although it may occasionally 
reach as much as 5 lbs. 
These rodents which, as compared with the hare, are deficient in speed, are 
eminently gregarious, forming in suitable soils numerous burrows, collectively 
termed “warrens.” Sandy soils, especially those clothed with heath or gorse, are 
