312 LEPORID^— LEPUS 



from Scotland, and all those found in England appear to belong to 

 Hinton's Hare, L. anglicus, which has been identified by its describer 

 from Ightham Fissure, Kent; Somerset, and from Longcliffe Cave, 

 Derbyshire. 



Status: — The Blue Hare of Scotland differs in some important respects 

 from the Irish Hare, and from its forerunner the extinct Hinton's Hare, 

 and is very closely allied to the subspecies of L. timidus inhabiting 

 continental Europe. This fact suggests a comparatively recent con- 

 nection between Great Britain and the Continent, and leaves it an 

 open question whether the west Skandinavian stock of L. timidus 

 migrated there from Scotland or vice versd. If there are really two 

 subspecies in Skandinavia, one of them may have reached that country 

 from the East. The question will be found discussed again under 

 genus MiCROTUS. 



Description: — Both in external and cranial characters the Blue 

 Hare is typical of the group Lepus. It differs from the Brown Hare 

 in its smaller size, larger head, rounder and fuller eyes, and shorter 

 ears, which when bent forward, hardly reach the tip of the nose. The 

 legs are relatively longer ; the tail is shorter and wholly white ; the fur 

 is soft and woolly ; the whiskers are not nearly so long and coarse, and 

 the hair on the soles is softer. The animal is in summer dusky rather 

 than tawny or " ochraceous," and in winter more or less white ; when 

 the white and dusky shades are intermingled it exhibits the tint 

 popularly known as "blue." 



In the fur the annulated hairs, although long and piercing the 

 underfur, are not nearly so strong and conspicuous as in the Brown 

 Hare, and the whole pelage is consequently softer. There are fewer of 

 the extra long dusky hairs. 



The Tinderfur, which, however, in a healthy animal in good coat does 

 not show through the hairs except on the nape, flanks, and rump, is 

 on the upper side in summer bicoloured, having a dusky base tipped 

 with " seal brown '' or even " clove brown " ; it passes gradually to 

 white on the under side, as also frequently on the rump. 



The ordinary hairs exhibit annulations corresponding to those of 

 L. europcBus, i.e., they are dusky, with a whitish base and a subterminal 

 band of " seal brown " or " clove brown." Frequently, however, the dark 

 tips are absent, having probably been worn away, and there is much 

 variation in tint, probably in accordance with the age of the hairs. 

 In a healthy adult the general colour of the back is derived from the 

 blended effect of the annulations, so that the upper side affects some 

 shade of " blue," or deep brown, bordering on dusky ; sometimes it is 

 grizzled or almost frosted. On the rump the extra long hairs with 

 black tips are more numerous, and contrast with the light underfur, but 

 they are scarcer on the face, which accordingly has a clearer appearance. 



