THE MOUNTAIN HARE 



fur thicker and more woolly in texture. In length the head and body 

 measure about 21I inches, the tail 2^ inches, and the ears about 3J inches. 

 The average weight may be put at 5 or 6 lbs. 



In summer the coat is a dusky yellowish brown in colour, changing 

 as the season advances to a bluish grey before assuming the pure white 

 of the full winter pelage. 



The under parts and greater portion of the tail are at all times white, 

 while the tips of the ears are always black. 



When changing colour these Hares often acquire a patchy or piebald 

 appearance and are then very conspicuous. From the observations of 

 MacGillivray and others, the chief annual moult takes place in spring, 

 but a more or less slight and irregular renewal of the coat may occur 

 at other times of the year. The change of colour generally begins in 

 September, when the brown of summer turns to bluish grey, and gradually 

 bleaching, usually attains its pure winter whiteness by December. Often 

 however some brown remains about the head and ears, while the back 

 is grizzled with darker hairs, as shown in Plate 35. Individuals also 

 differ considerably when renewing their summer coat and frequently retain 

 a good deal of their winter colouring till April. 



This species inhabits the northern as well as the mountainous parts 

 of Europe and is also widely distributed in the Arctic regions. A closely 

 related species takes its place in North America. 



In the British Islands the chief headquarters of the Mountain Hare 

 are in the Highlands of northern and central Scotland. At one time it 

 appears to have inhabited the Orkneys, though now extinct there, but 

 it exists on some of the Hebridean Islands, where it has been introduced 

 at various times. Its range has lately been extended in many parts of 

 southern and south-western Scotland, mainly by introduction. In 

 Midlothian, it is found on the Pentlands and Moorfoots, among the 



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