246 POLAR HARE. 



on open plains, which are frequently more frightened at the long shadow 

 than at the man himself." 



All travellers concur in stating the flesh of this animal to be of a finer 

 flavour than that of any of our other hares. We obtained one while at 

 St. George's Bay, in Newfoundland, and all our party made a meal of it ; 

 we pronounced it delicious food. 



A lady residing at that place informed us that she had domesticated 

 the Polar Hare, and had reared some of them for food. She said that the 

 flesh was fine-flavoured, and the animals easily tamed, and that she had 

 only been induced to discontinue keeping them in consequence of their 

 becoming troublesome, and destructive in her garden. 



The Polar Hare is stated by Richardson, on the authority of Indian 

 hunters, to bring forth once in a year, and only three young at a litter : 

 That, owing to the short summer of the Arctic regions, it does not produce 

 more than once annually, is no doubt true, but the number of young 

 brought forth at a time, we are inclined to believe was not correctly 

 given by the Indian hunters. 



Cartwright (see Jour., vol. ii., p. 76) killed a female of this species at 

 Labrador on the 11th June, from which he took five young. 



Capt. Ross says, " a female killed by one of our party at Sherifi" Har- 

 bour on the 7th of June, had four young in utero, perfectly mature, 5^ 

 inches long, and of a dark gray colour. In one shot at Igloolik, on the 

 2d June, six young were found, not quite so far advanced." 



An intelligent farmer who had resided some years in Newfoundland, 

 informed us that he had on several occasions counted the young of the 

 Polar Hare, and had never found less than five, and often had taken seven 

 from one nest. He considered the average number of young to each lit- 

 ter as six. Fabricius, alluding to the habits of this species as existing in 

 Greenland, says, " They pair in April, and in the month of June produce 

 eight young at a birth." 



Some idea may be formed of the very short period this species con- 

 tinues in its summer colours, from the following remarks of difierent 

 observers. In Beachy's Narrative, (p. 447,) is the following notice : — > 

 " May 5th. The party killed a white Hare, it was getting its summer 

 coat." Cartwright killed one on the 11th June, and remarks that it was 

 yet white. We obtained a specimen on the 15th August, 1833, and ascer- 

 tained that the change from summer to winter colours had already com- 

 menced. There was a large spot, nearly a hand's breadth, of pure white 

 on the back, extending nearly to the insertion of the tail ; three or four 

 white spots about an inch in diameter were also found on the sides. 



