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THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



HARES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. 



Our highly esteemed friend, the Rev. Dr Bachman, of Charleston in South Carolina, 

 has recently published, in the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, an elaborate monograph on the different species of Lepus inhabiting the 

 United States and Canada, of which we here present a very brief abstract. 



The Hares constitute the genus Lepus, of the order Glires or Rodejiiia^ character- 

 ized by having four small teeth placed behind the two upper incisors, two incisors 

 below, six grinders on each side in the upper and five in the lower jaw, in all twenty- 

 eight ; by having the ears and ^yes large ; five toes to the fore feet, four to those be- 

 hind, with claws slightly arched ; the interior of the cheeks covered with hair, as well 

 ELS the soles of the feet j the tail short ; the mammae from sii to ten. 



I. Lep-us ff la cialis (Lezch). Polar Hare. Larger than X. rirpim'anws ; colour 

 in winter white ; hair of a uniform white to the roots ; in summer of a light-grey 

 above j ears black. 



This species is the largest at present known in North America. It has a wide range 

 in the northern portions of America, having been found on both sides of Baffin's 

 Bay, on the Banen Grounds, as far north as the country has yet been explored; in 

 the North Georgian Islands ; and in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It shelters 

 itself among large stones, or in the crevices of rocks, feeds in winter on the Labrador 

 Tea plant and the berries of the Alpine Arbutus, produces several young at a birth, and 

 affords excellent eating, its flesh having a finer flavour than that of any other American 

 Haie. 



2. L. Virginzanus (Harlan). Northern Hare. Larger than the American Hare, 

 less than the Polar ; white in winter, the roots of the hairs blue, then yellowish-fawn, 

 tipped with white ; in summer, reddish-brown above, white beneath ; ears a little 

 shorter than the head. 



This species is plentiful in the Northern States, in Canada, in the fur countries as 

 far north as lat. 64" 30/, and has been seen on the Columbia River, the plains of the 

 Missouri, and in the eastern states as far south as Virginia. It is supposed to be the 

 fleetest species known, and Lewis and Clarke ascertained by measurement that it could 

 leap 21 feet at a bound. It confines itself to the densest forests or to prairies over- 

 grown with tall grass, feeds principally at night on grasses, bark, leaves, and buds of 

 shrubs and trees, but as an article of food is inferior to the other species. 



3. L. aquaticus. Swamp Hare. Larger than the American Hare, being nearly 

 the size of the Northern Hare ; tail, ears, and head, long ; feet long, narrow, less co- 

 vered with hair than those of the American Hare; general colour nearly black above, 

 white beneath. 



This species, now first described, is numerous in all the swamps of the western 

 parts of Alabama, and still more abundant in the State of Mississippi and in the lower 

 parts of Louisiana. It differs from all the other species in frequenting marshy places, 

 occasionally resorting to the water, and swimming with ease. 



4. L. Americanus (Harlan). American Hare. In summer the fur above yellow- 

 ish-brown, on the outer surface of the fore and hind legs rufous ; beneath, and under 

 surface of the tail, white. In winter the upper surface considerably lighter, being 

 grey or greyish-white, intermixed with black and brown hairs. 



It is very widely diffused in the United States, and is very prolific, producing from 

 five to seven at a birth. Its principal enemies, besides Man, are the Ermine, Canada 

 Lynx, Wild or Rufous Cat, Foxes, and various birds of prey. It is fond of frequent- 

 ing plantations, conceals itself by day in a brush-heap or a tuft of grass, and often 

 commits havoc in the gardens. 



5. L. palustris (Bachman). Marsh Hare. Smaller than the American Hare; 

 ears much shorter than the head ; eyes rather small ; tail very short ; feet small, thinly 

 clothed with hair ; upper surface yellowish-brown ; lower grey. 



It confines itself to marshy places near the coast, in Carolina, Georgia, and Florida ; 

 produces from five to seven young at a birth, and is superior to the American Hare 

 as an article of food. 



6. L. Nuttallii (Bachman). Nuttall's Little Hare. V^^ry small; tail of moderate 

 length ; general colour above, a mixture of light-buff and dark -brown ; beneath, light 

 yellowish -grey ; ears broad and rounded ; lower surface of tail white. 



Mr Nuttall, who discovered it, states that it is met with to the west of the Rocky 

 Mountains, inhabiting thickets by the banks of several small streams which flow into 

 the Shoshonee and Columbia rivers. 



7. L. campcstris (Nuttall). Prairie Hare. In summer the head, neck, back, 

 rfioulder, and outer parts of the legs and thighs, lead colour ; the belly, breast, and 

 inner parts of the legs and thighs, white. In winter it is pure white, except the 

 black and reddish-brown of the ears, which never change. 



It occurs in the northern and western parts, especially on the plains to the west of 

 the Rocky IMountains. 



8. Lepiis {Lagomys) princeps (Richardson). Little Chief Hare. Head shorl and 

 thick ; ears rounded ; legs short ; no tail ; colour above blackish-brown ; beneath grey- 

 ish-fawn. 



It inhabits the Rocky JTountains from lat. 52^ to 60^. 



Dr Bachman concludes with the following general observations : — " Tlie LepniTi 

 glacialis is an inhabitant of the polar regions, having been seen as far north as cur 

 discoveries have as yet extended, ranging across the whole of the northern part of 

 our continent, and found as far south, at least, as Newfoundland, where it is abundant, 

 occupying a range of more than 30" of latitude. There are, no doubt, wide inter- 

 mediate spaces, where it is not found. Professor M'Culloch, residing at Picton, 

 Nova Scotia, has not observed it in his vicinity. It generally avoids swampy situa- 

 tions, preferring high grounds, and is often seen along the sides of hills, and in rocky 

 situations. The Lepus Virginianus, according to Richardson, is found as far north 

 as lat. 68**, and is known to exist as far south as the mountains of Pennsylvania. The 

 Lepus Americanus is believed to exist in all the settled parts of the United States. 

 The Lepus aquaticus has not yet been discovered to the east of the State of Alabama, 

 nor to the west of the Missisaippi river, or the south of New Orleans, although it 

 will probably be found to extend considerably beyond these limits. The Lepus 

 palustris has not yet been seen north of the maritime districts of South Carolina, 

 nor to the west of Georgia, but extends to the southernmost portions of East Florida. 

 The Lepus Nuttallii seems peculiar to the district west of the Rocky Mountains. 

 The Lagomys princeps has been found from lat. 42'' to 60°, and probably extends 

 along the whole range of the Rocky Mountains, especially in the most elevated re- 

 gions. 



, *' These different species, although they have a strong general resemblance during a. 

 period of the year, may yet, by a little attention, be easily distinguished from each 

 other. L. glacialis may be known by its black ears in summer, and by its hair 

 being snowy white, even to the roots, in winter. L. Virginianus may be recognised 

 in summer by its reddish-brown colour, and in winter, by its fur being white at the 

 tips, and plumbeous at the base. L, aquaticus may be distinguished from the 

 Northern Hare by its never becoming white in winter ; from the American Hare, by its 

 larger size, by its fur becoming black in winter, instead gf whiter, as is the case with. 

 the former, and by its aquatic habits ; and from the Marsh Hare, by its being one- 

 third larger, by its much longer head, ears, and tail, and by its swiftness of foot. L, 

 palustris may at any time be distinguished by its short tail, which is never white 

 beneath, by its small hind feet, resembling in this respect the Cavy, and by its aquatic 

 habits. X. Nuttallii may be known by its diminutive size, and differs from Lagomys 

 princeps by the presence of a tail. L. campestris may be distinguished from the 

 Polar Hare, by the fur on the back never becoming pure white to the roots, in win- 

 ter." 



GEOLOGY. 



ON THE SLATE OF SOUTH DEVON. BY J. C. BEI,LAMT, ESQ. YEALMPTON. 



Slate, in its varied appearances, occupies the generality of South Devon southward 

 of Dartmoor, a granitic tract, being, as it were, diffused in all directions, the other 

 strata, lime trap, &c., being intruded between its courses and hills. Under the term 

 slate 1 here include every kind of rock popularly so called, and in consequence, for 

 the sake of convenience, confound together rocks both "primitive and transitior.'^ 

 However perfect systems and tables as set forth in books may seem to be, and how- 

 ever desirable it might be for me to present definite terms and divisions of the strata 

 under examination, I am so clearly satisfied of the immatured condition of this science, 

 simply from the fact that local phenomena have not yet been narrowly investigated and 

 compared, that I think it highly probable a few years will once more remodify exist- 

 ing opinions and classifications, and that, consequently, it can be no great outrage to 

 consider provisionally all our rocks of a slaty nature under one head, though I do not 

 mean to exclude conjecture and classification altogether. Thus, while under the term 

 slate I comprise mica-slate, gneiss-slate, clay-slate, roofing slate, dunstone, grey- 

 wacke-slate, flinty-slate, and greywacke, with perhaps some other minor kinds, I be- 

 lieve it would be unphilosophical to disregard the principle of separation between the 

 fossiliferous and the nonfossiliferous rocks, or the principle of arrangement derived from 

 the ("ccasional alternation, and intimate blendings of certain strata, together with the 

 truly natural association of deposits by the occurrence of the same description of animal 

 remains, and other structures in their substance. But who, in the midst of conflict- 

 ing statements of authors, will undertake to explain what is clay-slate, and what is not. 

 particularly as this is generally ranked amongst the primitive (nonfossiliferous) rocks, 

 and with us contains indubitable proofs of being fossiliferous, besides being apparently 

 in union with a mass of other slate containing no such demonstrations? In a popular 

 work now before me, giving a succinct statement of strata, primitive formations are 

 described as being destitute of petrifactions ; then the rocks so classed under this head 

 are briefly described, and amongst them stands '^' clay-slate." It is added, "the clay- 

 slates of Switzerland are celebrated for their impressions of fishes. Mont Pilate con- 

 sists of thin laminae, and in almost every plate is impressed a fish !" Thus it would 

 be gratuitous and presumptuous in me to draw a line of demarcation between the clay- 

 slate and the other kinds of slate, supposing a natural distinction to exist, which I am 

 not sure is the case, for, as respects a distinction founded on the occurrence of fossils, 

 the dunstone and greywacke contain no fossils, and are, it is well known, in immedi- 

 ate connection with patches of fossihferous slate, and consequently the hills of slate con- 

 nected with the fossiliferous slate above named may, for aught I see, be equally regarded 

 as coeval in its deposition. If, therefore, it were demanded of me to state what 1 re- 

 garded as clay-slate, and to draw a line of demarcation between it and other kinds, I 

 should say, either that the separation must be dependent on the presence or absence 

 of organic relics, presuming on the possibility of making a separation by that means, 

 or that the entire mass of our slate not evincing the characters of mica, or of gneiss- 

 slate, on the one hand, or betraying none of the characters of flinty-slate or of grey- 

 wacke-slate on the other ; in short, all that rock which amongst amateurs and persons 

 loosely informed on the matter is termed clay-slate, and which I have above recognised 

 in a general way as being fossiliferous, must receive this appellation. From what I 

 have just stated, it might be gathered that the interruptions to the courses of the dif- 

 ferent varieties of slate were not sudden, but rather the reverse. This circumstance, 

 indeed, is remarkable amongst the features of this rock considered as a whole. Mica- 



