814 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



not previously discover mouse-hares anywhere, although I was told they were 

 fairly common. A.s they live above 10,000 feet among piles of stones, their homes 

 must be many feet covered in snow during the whole winter and part of spring 

 Whether they hibernate like the brown bears, or store food for this gloomy 

 period of their lives, I do not know. The natives I have questioned on 

 the subject all state that they store food for the winter. I found the piles of 

 Stones where they lived so extensive and the blocks so heavy, that I was 

 unable to see their actual nests so as te ascertain if there was any store of 

 food. Some little time after I had seen this mouse-hare, I encamped not far 

 from the place where I first saw it, and on the chance of catching it, I set a 

 rat trap, one of those wire traps with a spring door at one end. To the usual 

 hook for attaching bait, I suspended from one end a Wide flat piece 

 of tin, and tied across this, grass, strawberry leaves and flowers, in 

 the hope that if the mouse-hare entered the cage, his weight on the 

 tin platform would disengage the hook from the catch and so spring 

 the door behind. For two days the trap was apparently not visited, and 

 neither did I see the mouse-hare anywhere about the stones. I began to fear 

 it must have moved elsewhere. However on the morning of the third day on 

 visiting the trap I found one inside. So far as I could judge, from its size and 

 colour, it was the same one I had previously seen. It appeared to take its mis- 

 fortune very quietly, and had evidently made a good meal off the straw- 

 berry leaves and flowers. I carried it back to Camp and after a short time it 

 became quite tame. I fed it with various grasses, Alpine flowers, strawberry 

 leaves and strawberry berries. At first it would not eat any grain but after 

 some time it took to " gram " aud also occasionally eats cabbage, carrots and 

 onions. As I was obliged till I obtained a wire cage, to keep it in the trap, I 

 was unable for a considerable time to try and catch another one alive. When 

 at last I was able to remove it into a cage, and so free the trap, vegetation had 

 become so general that they were not to be tempted for the sake of food to 

 enter the trap, although I set it in various places where I saw the animals. 

 I however, caught several in a " kill " trap. The " out of sight " rat trap 1 

 found most useful for obtaining specimens in good condition. I also use the 

 trap for obtaining Voles. I have rarely seen two mouse-hares together and 

 never any young ones. These hares are said to make a peculiar piping call, 

 which can be heard to a great distance, but I have not heard them make any 

 noise. My servant tells me, he once heard the one I caught make a whistling 

 call. In the part of Chamba where I was encamped there appear to be two 

 varieties so far as colour goes ; one a dark rabbit grey and the other of a bright 

 rufous or bay colour. The former are smaller in size than the latter. The one 

 I caught and kept alive is of the bay coloured variety, but it was not so generally 

 rufous when first captured. I refer to the general colour. I believe they 

 change the colour of their coats a good deal according to the season of the 

 year. The hair ia exceedingly fine, straight and shiny. Although the weather 

 was still very cold there was no sign of any underwool in the hair, as one might 



