HARES AND RABBITS 



The Hares and Rabbits are rodent or gnawing 

 animals, distinguished from others of the great 

 Rodent Order by the presence of two pairs of 

 incisor or front teeth in the upper jaw. The 

 inner pair are very small and lie behind the outer 

 ones. Three pairs of pre-molar teeth are present 

 in the upper, and two in the lower jaw. 



The fur is usually grey, tinged with rufous ; tail 

 stumpy and upturned ; ears long ; fore limbs 

 short and furnished with five toes ; hind limbs 

 long and with four toes. Feet densely covered 

 with hair above and below. The inner sides of 

 the cheeks have a hairy covering. 



The Hares and Rabbits are cosmopolitan in their 

 range, with the exception of Madagascar and 

 Austraha. In the latter continent they were in- 

 troduced, and owing to the absence of carnivorous 

 animals and large birds of prey to keep them in 

 check, they have multiplied vastly, and are a source 

 of great financial loss to the farmers. 



All the Hares and Rabbits are grouped in one 

 family (JLeporidee), and until lately all the species 

 were in one genus (Lepus). Recently, however, a 

 rabbit totally different from any of the others was 



187 



