Practical Game-Preserving. 272 



to feed; but they continue to return to them until 

 lactation ceases, when they are cast out upon their own 

 responsibility, and pursue an individual existence. 



In the case of disturbance by some cause or another, the 

 doe will remove one, more, or all of a litter from the 

 suckling-forms to others. It is at such times when the 

 removal is incomplete that two or three leverets are found 

 together, a fact which has sufficed seemingly to confirm the 

 false notion that hares only throw that number of young 

 at a birth. The discovery of individual leverets at their 

 suckling-form has also contributed to this notion, but if a 

 thorough search be made, the others will be found at no 

 great distance. Continued disturbance will cause the doe 

 to gather all her litter together and remove them to con- 

 siderable distances at times, when she also will seek a fresh 

 form in their neighbourhood. Taking into consideration 

 how easy victims the hare's young prove to small vermin, 

 it is obvious that this habit of separating the young is a 

 protective one, without which hares in unpreserved districts 

 must cease to exist. For all, however, that it is so timid 

 an animal in face of man, dogs, or vermin, it is equally 

 courageous at times in warding off unintentional danger 

 from farm stock and the like, the doe hare frequently 

 fighting off in the peculiar boxing manner it adopts sheep 

 or cattle which are likely to injure its young, over 

 which it continually maintains a protective watch. Even 

 the leverets will sometimes show fight in this manner when 

 disturbed. 



The form of the hare is not always placed or chosen 

 under the same circumstances. The choice of form 

 depends upon the season of the year, and the description 

 of weather actually prevailing at a particular period of 

 the season. Thus, in hot, bright summer weather, or 

 during periods of heavy or continuous rain, open coverts 



