THE MOUNTAIN OR BLUE HARE 311 



Mackaile's MS., dating from near the end of the seventeenth century, 

 as quoted by Baikie and Heddle : — " There are no foxes nor hares, only 

 I was informed that about eighty years ago there were several, either 

 white or black hares, on the two great mountains of Choye." 



They have been reintroduced to Gairsey (Harvie-Brown and 

 Buckley) and Hoy, but Millais stated that he could obtain no news of 

 them on a recent visit to the islands. 



Scottish Hares have been introduced into many English counties, 

 where they seem to thrive as well on moors and hillsides as in Scotland. 

 It would be impossible to give a complete list of records, especially as 

 the animals sometimes spread quickly over the country and colonise a 

 wide area. In Cheshire, for instance (Coward and Oldham), they have 

 firmly established themselves on the uplands as the result of an 

 introduction from Perthshire into Yorkshire. In the latter county they 

 have greatly increased, so that in May 1893 a keeper counted fifty 

 within range of his field-glasses (Coward, Zoologist, 1901, 73-75); they 

 have also appeared in Derbyshire, but in the north of Stafford the 

 descendants of an introduction effected about 1906 have been 

 exterminated (Masefield, MS.). Abel Chapman has kindly sent me a 

 note of a recent introduction in Northumberland, near the Roxburgh 

 border. In Wales, too, there have been several introductions, so that 

 White Hares may be seen on many of the mountains, especially in 

 North Carnarvon (Forrest). A notable instance is that of the second 

 Lord Penrhyn on Llandugai Mountain ; the late G. W. D. Assheton 

 Smith brought a few hares from these mountains to his park at 

 Vaynol, near Bangor (see also under Irish Hare), but they did not 

 thrive well, for which information I am indebted, through the kind- 

 ness of Forrest, to L. V. Lort. These hares came from Abercairney, 

 near Crieff, Perth. 



There has been at least one Irish introduction, viz., on the 

 coursing grounds at Black Brae, Co. Londonderry (see Barrett- 

 Hamilton, Irish Naturalist, March 1898, 76). 



The numberless transportations by sportsmen of Brown, Scottish, 

 and Irish hares are probably now past accurate tracing in detail. 

 Where reasonable care is taken to transfer individuals in good 

 health, no difficulty whatever is found in naturalising either of 

 the three in another's territory. Frequently an introduction is put 

 down as a failure either because the hares are shot down by strangers 

 before they have become established, or because they are so badly 

 injured in transit that they perish after having been released. They 

 are strong, violent animals, and easily knock themselves about in a box, 

 and should be dispatched in a package so arranged that each has a 

 separate compartment. 



Distribution in time : — No fossil remains of hares have been described 



