CHAPTER XXIX. 



THE HARE: Its Natural History. 



ONLY two distinct species of the hare exist in the British 

 Isles, for what is called the Irish Hare, and dignified 

 with the name of Lepus hibernicus, is really the Blue or 

 Mountain Hare (L. variabilis), whose habitat extends 

 into the Northern portion of the sister isle. The common 

 hare (L. timidus) is found throughout our islands, from 

 the North of Scotland, where it is comparatively rare, to 

 the Isle of Wight and Cornwall ; but beyond its extension 

 to Ireland the Mountain Hare is confined to Scotland. 

 These two hares are as distinct in habit as they differ in 

 regard to the class of land they frequent. The Common 

 Hare frequents the lowlands, plains, and downs and 

 commons, where what are termed the stiff soils predomi- 

 nate ; whilst the Blue or Mountain Hare affects the uplands, 

 and, as its name implies, the more hilly and mountainous 

 portions of the country where it occurs. 



The Common Hare extends all over Europe, and accord- 

 ing to irregular lines of latitude exhibits three different 

 types, which, however, run into one another. These types 

 do not show themselves distinctly in our common British 

 hares; but the separate types exhibit themselves in two 

 different forms of it, which are common to the Northern 

 and Southern portions of our islands. Thus in England, 

 for the most part, the hares possess a medium coat, with 



