LEPORIDiE 



i&i 



of which in the present work and in Bell's British Mammals 

 is shown below : — 



Belts system of\iT\ : — System of present work : — 



(i) Lepus TiMiDUS becomes (2) Lepus europjEUS occidentalis. 



(2) L. VARIABILIS „ ((S) L. TIMIDUS SCOTICUS. 

 ^ ' U4) L. HIBERNICUS. 



(3) L. CUNICULUS „ (l) Oryctolagus CUNICULUS. 



The numbers indicate the order in which the animals are arranged in the two works. 



General characters of hares and rabbits:— The hares and 

 rabbits are remarkable for their combination of primitive and 

 specialised characters. Thus, although in the comparatively- 

 greater number of teeth their dental formula is very primitive 

 as compared with that of other rodents, the individual cheek- 

 teeth (to be described under genus Lepus) have undergone the 

 most profound specialisation. The ears are very prominent 

 and efficient, while the skeletons of the limbs resemble in certain 

 respects those of the swift-footed ungulates. The form of the 

 distal articulation of the humerus is similar to that of the horse, 

 and in the more highly developed forms the ulna is reduced 

 and the radius becomes longer than the humerus. 



The hind feet are long, powerful, and efficient, and in rapid 

 progression they are almost the sole propelling power, the 

 action of the fore limbs being then merely accessory (see Tracks 

 and spoor, below, p. 168), All four feet are thickly clothed 

 with fur, so that the animals can pass with ease over snow or 

 smooth slippery surfaces ; hence the old Greek name ^aavirovi 

 (dasypod) as used by Aristotle [Hisioria Animalium, ed. 

 Thompson, 1910, iii., 12, 519", 23). They thus differ entirely 

 in their construction from the corresponding members in fast 

 carnivora, the weight of which is supported on a series of elastic 

 pads ; and from the ungulates, in which a development of the 

 horny nails is called in for the same purpose. Probably the 

 leporine type is the most successful of the three, since it avoids 

 the wounding and soreness caused to bare padded feet, such 

 as those of fast dogs, on very hard ground ; but in many of the 

 northern carnivores a compromise is effected by a considerable 

 growth of hair between the pads. Animals with bare padded 

 feet, such as foxhounds or greyhounds, cannot work in time of 



