POLAR HARE. 247 



Captain Ross states — " One taken by us on the 28th of June, a few 

 days after its birth, soon became sufficiently tame to eat from our hands, 

 and was allowed to run loose about the cabin. During the summer we 

 -fed it on such plants as the country produced, and stored up a quantity of 

 grass and astragali for its winter consumption ; but it preferred to share 

 with us whatever our table could afford, and would enjoy peas-soup, 

 plum-pudding, bread, barley-soup, sugar, rice, and even cheese, with us. 

 It could not endure to be caressed, but was exceedingly fond of company, 

 and would sit for hours listening to a conversation, which was no sooner 

 ended than he would retire to his cabin ; he was a continual source of 

 amusement by his sagacity and playfulness." * * * " The 



fur of the Polar Hare is so exceedingly soft, that an Esquimaux woman 

 spun some of its wool into a thread, and knitted several pairs of gloves, 

 one pair of which, beautifully white, came into my possession. It resem- 

 bled the Angola wool, but was still softer." 



The specimen we procured in Newfoundland weighed seven and a half 

 pounds; it was obtained on the 15th August, in the midst of summer, 

 when all hares are lean. It was at a period of the year also, when in 

 that island they are incessantly harassed by the troublesome moose-fly. 

 Deer, hares, &,c., and even men, suffer very much in consequence of their 

 attacks. The Indians we saw there, although tempted by a high reward, 

 refused to go in search of these Hares, from a dread of this persecuting 

 insect, and our party, who had gone on a moose-hunt, were obliged by 

 the inflammation succeeding the bites inflicted on them to return on the 

 same day they started. 



Dr. Richardson sets down the weight of a full grown Polar Hare as 

 varying according to its condition from seven to fourteen pounds. 



In Beachy's Narrative there is an account of a Polar Hare, killed on 

 the 15th May, that weighed nearly twelve pounds ; and Hearne (see 

 Journey, p. 383) says that, " in good condition many of them weigh from 

 fourteen to fifteen pounds." 



GEOGRAPmCAL DISTRIBUTION. 



This species occupies a wide range in the northern portions of our con- 

 tinent ; it extends from the shores of Baffin's Bay across the continent to 

 Behring's Straits. It has been seen as far north as the North Georgian 

 Islands, in latitude 75°. On the western portion of the American con- 

 tinent it has not been found further to the south than latitude 64°, but on 

 the eastern coast it reaches much farther south. Richardson has stated 

 that its most southerly known habitat is in the neighbourhood of Fort 



