NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RABBIT 5 



loude war ryote war I for noon other wylde beest yn 

 Ingelande is called ryote saf the conyng alonly.' 



The structural differences between a rabbit and a 

 hare are chiefly apparent in the skull, and the relative 

 length of the ears and hind limbs, which are much 

 shorter in the rabbit than in the hare. In the latter 

 animal we note the greater complexity of the maxillo- 

 turbinal bones, and Professor Rolleston, commenting 

 upon this, observed, ' It is obvious that the rabbit, 

 living usually in a subterranean atmosphere, is 

 advantaged by having that atmosphere warmed as 

 much as possible before entering the lungs.' 



The dentition in both hare and rabbit is typical 

 of a rodent or gnawing animal. Four large incisors, 

 two in the upper and two in the lower jaw, are formed 

 of hard bone (dentine), the front surfaces being com- 

 posed of layers of very hard enamel. In the natural 

 condition these teeth are in opposition, and wear 

 each other away in the act of gnawing. The hard 

 enamel in the upper pair cuts away the softer dentine 

 in the lower, leaving the sharp front edge of enamel 

 standing up like the edge of a chisel, and the lower 

 perform the same duty for the upper. Thus four 

 sharp chisel-edged teeth are formed, which act most 

 efficiently in gnawing the hard food of the rodent, 

 such as bark or roots. If by any accident the lower 



