GRAY RABBIT. 



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minor, because it was smaller than the Eaglish woodcock, although it 

 finally proved to be the largest snipe in America. 



Let us compare the description of Sciieeber's L. nanus, with the North- 

 ern hare, oi' which we have a number of specimens, (including all its 

 various changes of colour,) before us, to refer to as we proceed. 



TRANSLATION. 



Lepus nanus. 

 The head has nothing peculiar ; 

 cheeks, thickly haired ; ears, thin, 

 externally with few hairs, naked 

 within, and when bent forward do 

 not reach the point of the nose, 

 when bent backward they reach 

 the shoulder blades. 



Eyes, large and black, with four 

 or five bristles above them ; whis- 

 kers, mostly black ; some are white, 

 the longest appear to be longer than 

 the head. 



The following is the colour in 

 summer ; ears, brownish, with a 

 very narrow black border on the 

 outer margin, being at the tips the 

 same breadth, or it even disappears 

 towards the tips. 



Lepus Americanus. 

 This description agrees with L. 

 Americanus ; the ears in our dried 

 specimens are none of them more 

 than 3i inches long, whilst from 

 nose to ear they measure 4 inches ; 

 the ears therefore could not reach 

 the nose. 



Applies perfectly to our speci- 

 mens of L. Americanus, except the 

 colour of the eyes, which applies to 

 neicher the Northern hare nor the 

 Gray Rabbit, and which he must 

 have obtained from some other 

 source than a dried skin. 



The very narrow black border on 

 the outer margin betrays the spe- 

 cies ; it belongs to the Northern 

 hare, but not to the Gray Rabbit. 

 They only become effaced when 

 covered with white hair in winter ; 

 and it is evident this last expression 

 was taken from Kalm, who says of 

 the Rabbit, " the tip of their ears 

 is always gray, and not black, as is 

 the case in the European, common, 

 and Alpine hares." 



Forehead, cheeks, back and sides, All agreeing with the description 

 fore and hind-legs externally, light of the Northern hare, 

 brown, mixed with black ; around 

 the breech, white. 



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