142 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
when at Hampton Court Palace. The name. is often found surviving elsewhere. Near one of 
the large country English seats a walled park of 1,500 acres holds almost all the hares on the 
estate. If these parks and forest laws had not existed at an early date, it is probable that the 
hare would have become very scarce in this country. 
Hares produce their leverets about the middle of April, though in mild seasons they are born 
much earlier. The number of the litter is from two to five. They are placed in a small hollow 
scraped out by the doe hare, but not in a burrow of any kind. 
The instinct of concealment by remaining still is very highly developed in the hares and 
rabbits. They will often “ squat” on the ground until picked up rather than take to flight. This 
seems almost a perverted instinct; yet hares often exhibit considerable courage and resource 
when escaping from their enemies. The following is an instance :—_A hare was coursed by two 
. : SNS 
Photo by C. Reid 
WILD RABBITS 
young greyhounds on some marshes intersected by wide ditches of water. It first ran to the side 
of one of these ditches, and doubled at right angles on the brink. This caused the outer dog to 
lose its balance and to fall heavily into the deep and cold water. The hare then made straight 
for the line of walkers, and passed through them, with the other greyhound close behind it. 
The dog reached out and seized the hare by the fur of the back, throwing it down. The hare 
escaped, leaving a large patch of fur in the dog’s jaws, doubled twice, and was again seized by 
the second dog, which had come up. It escaped from the jaws of the second pursuer, leapt two 
ditches 12 feet wide, and then sat for a moment behind a gate on a small bridge. This use of 
the only cover near caused the dogs to lose sight of it; they refused to jump the second drain, 
and the hare escaped. 
The Rassir is too well known to need description either of its habits or appearance. It 
originally came from the countries south of the Mediterranean, but is now common in Northern 
Europe, and has become a pest in Australia and New Zealand. The rabbit breeds when six 
months old, and has several litters in each year. 
