106 SOUTH AFRICAN MAMMALS 



Family LEPOEID^. 

 Genus LEPUS. 



Ears and hind legs, long. Fore legs medium. Tail 

 short and bushy. Five toes to the fore and four to the 

 hind legs. Dentition : incisors at birth 3-1, afterwards 

 '2-1; canines 0-0; premolars 3-2 ; molars 3-8 = 28. 



The Thick-tailed Hares have been separated into anew 

 genus, Pronolagus, by Thomas and Schwann (Trouessart 

 in his " Catalogus Mammalium " includes them under 

 the genus " Orijctolagus "), chiefly upon anatomical 

 characters, which need not further concern the readers of 

 this book, except that the ears are shorter and the body 

 more compact and rabbit-like. 



Pronolagus crassicaudatus. Cape Babbit. Kaapse Konijn 

 or Booi-haas. 



Fur thicker and softer than in the succeeding species, 

 speckly yellowish brown and black, giving a brownish hue 

 to the upper parts, and reddish white below. Chin white ; 

 a black stripe on the cheek on either side of the face. 

 Ears of moderate size and rounded at the edges. At the 

 back of the head and neck a reddish patch. The legs are 

 red-brown and the tail, which is short and bushy, is of the 

 same colour, with no trace of black or white, so character- 

 istic of the other species of South African Hares. Length 

 of head and body 20 inches, tail '■il inches 



This Eabbit is only found in rocky hills or kranzes, 

 and is fairly well distributed over the sub-continent. It 

 lives in pairs or colonies amongst the rocks. I found it 

 fairly common in the hills around " Orange Grove " to 

 the north of Johannesburg. The young — one or two — 

 are brought forth in a well-developed state, well covered 

 with fur, differing in this respect from tame Rabbits. I 



