■ _ T m ] 



it feems not unfair to confider any animal of the 

 Hare genus, (whofe legs thus meafured are lefs 

 than the half of the diftance from the rump to the 

 -mouth) as a Rabbit, and on the contrary when they 

 are either one half, or more, as a Hare. 



If the fore and hind legs of a Rabbit and Hare 

 are alfo refpeclively compared, it will be found that 

 the fore legs of the former are proportionally more 

 ihorr, than thofe of a Hare. 



By both thefe criteria the quadruped from Hud- 

 son's Bay muli rather be confidered as a Hare, than 

 a Rabbit (as it is called in that part of the world), 

 according to the admeafurements fubjoined, which 

 include the reipecl:ive proportions alfo of the Alpine 

 : Hare [/j]. 



•Fore Leg. HindLeg* Back and Head. 



Inches. Inches. Inches. 



Rabbit 4| 6 1 i6| 



Hare 7! 11 22 



Hudfon'sBayl , ,, , n 



Quadruped J 6 * I0 * l8 



r 



Alpine Hare < 



107 2lf 



From the From the 



uppermoft uppermoft 



joint to the joint to the 



w toe. toe. 



From the proportion of thefe parts, in the Hud- 

 Ton's Bay quadruped, according to this table, I flatter 

 myfelf, that it may with greater propriety be claffed 

 as belonging to the Hare fpecies, than by any other 

 marks of a fpecifk difference which have been hi- 

 therto relied upon. 



\_h~\ This fpecies of Hare is found in the Highlands of Scot- 

 land, whence I received a fpecimen, which I had the honour 

 of prefenting to the Mufeum of the Royal Society. 



C 2 I do 



