172 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



young of the rabbit, they are born with their eyes open, and are 

 able to run about on the very day of their birth. 



The hare does not burrow in the ground like the rabbit, but 

 lies during the day in a small hollow or depression. This is called 

 her " form ". As soon as the darkness begins to fall she goes out 

 to feed, and often wanders to a considerable distance before dawn. 

 But soon after daylight she is sure to be back in her " form ", to 

 which she seems just as much attached as if it were a carefully- 

 made dwelling. 



But she does not live in the same " form " all the year round. 

 During the summer and early autumn, when the weather is warm 

 and there are no chilly winds to be feared, she generally lies out 

 in the fields. But as soon as the leaves begin to fall and the frosts 

 come, she seeks a more sheltered situation. 



Her behaviour during a heavy snow-storm is very remarkable. 

 She does not leave her " form " in order to look for a place to 

 which the flakes cannot penetrate, but just moves slightly back- 

 wards and forwards as the snow falls, so as to press it into a kind 

 of wall all round her body. This she continues to do until she 

 is completely covered over, and lies in a little oval chamber, with 

 just a small breathing-hole communicating with the outer air. By 

 this hole she is frequently discovered, for a well-trained dog will 

 detect the scent through the snow, and lead his master to the spot 

 where she is lying. 



The hare seems to know perfectly well that she possesses this 

 powerful odour, and when she is hunted with hounds will resort 

 to all manner of devices to break the line of scent. One very 

 favourite plan is to run back on her own course for a little dis- 

 tance, leap as far as possible to one side, and make off in another 

 direction. Sometimes, too, she will boldly leap into a stream, 

 swim for some way, and then land on the opposite bank. A 

 hunted hare has even been known to swim boldly out to sea, 

 and make her way to an island more than a mile from the 

 shore. 



