﻿MAMMALIA. 
  

  

  69 
  

  

  days. 
  In 
  the 
  0. 
  S. 
  A. 
  are 
  such 
  expressions 
  as 
  " 
  Hares," 
  

   "plenty 
  of 
  Hares," 
  "abound 
  with 
  Hares," 
  "Common 
  Hare," 
  

   " 
  Brown 
  Hare," 
  " 
  Hares 
  are 
  very 
  common 
  ; 
  " 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  Hares 
  are 
  "numerous 
  and 
  destructive." 
  

   It 
  is 
  only 
  when 
  we 
  refer 
  to 
  Robertson's 
  Agricultural 
  Survey 
  

   of 
  Kincardineshire, 
  p. 
  395, 
  that 
  anything 
  approaching 
  a 
  

   definite 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  numbers 
  is 
  given. 
  " 
  Hares 
  : 
  These 
  

   are 
  incredibly 
  numerous, 
  abounding 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  in 
  dozens 
  

   in 
  every 
  field. 
  I 
  am 
  fully 
  persuaded 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  

   more 
  Hares 
  than 
  Sheep 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  only 
  they 
  have 
  

   changed 
  places. 
  The 
  great 
  body 
  of 
  Sheep 
  are 
  sent 
  to 
  

   pick 
  up 
  a 
  scanty 
  subsistence 
  on 
  the 
  barren 
  hills 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   Hares, 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  freedom 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  will, 
  prefer 
  to 
  live 
  at 
  

   their 
  ease 
  in 
  the 
  low 
  and 
  rich 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  Without 
  

   having 
  seen 
  it, 
  one 
  could 
  hardly 
  conceive 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   turnips 
  that 
  they 
  destroy." 
  

  

  This 
  species, 
  although 
  still 
  common, 
  has 
  decreased 
  very 
  

   considerably 
  within 
  the 
  past 
  thirty 
  years, 
  but 
  more 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  since 
  the 
  passing 
  of 
  the 
  Act 
  which 
  gave 
  farmers 
  the 
  

   right 
  to 
  shoot 
  ground 
  game 
  upon 
  their 
  own 
  land. 
  Immedi- 
  

   ately 
  on 
  this 
  concession 
  being 
  granted 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  rush 
  to 
  

   arms, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  space 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  Hare 
  was 
  reduced 
  in 
  

   numbers 
  by 
  at 
  least 
  one-half. 
  

  

  No 
  definite 
  statement 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  British 
  authors 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  times 
  the 
  Hare 
  breeds 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  Bell, 
  in 
  

   his 
  History 
  of 
  British 
  Quadrupeds, 
  p. 
  338, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  Hare 
  

   breeds 
  when 
  a 
  year 
  old, 
  and 
  the 
  female, 
  after 
  thirty 
  days' 
  

   gestation, 
  brings 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  five 
  young." 
  Pennant, 
  in 
  his 
  

   British 
  Zoology, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  p. 
  126, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  Hare 
  never 
  pairs, 
  

   but 
  in 
  the 
  rutting 
  season, 
  which 
  begins 
  in 
  February, 
  the 
  male 
  

   pursues 
  and 
  discovers 
  the 
  female." 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  in 
  a 
  position 
  

   to 
  say 
  how 
  often 
  the 
  Hare 
  brings 
  forth 
  young 
  during 
  the 
  

   season 
  ; 
  yet 
  if 
  the 
  rutting 
  season 
  begins 
  in 
  February 
  it 
  must 
  

   be 
  held 
  that 
  broods 
  are 
  produced 
  during 
  spring, 
  summer, 
  and 
  

   autumn, 
  for 
  young 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  females 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  month 
  

   of 
  October. 
  On 
  September 
  19th, 
  1895, 
  four 
  young 
  were 
  taken 
  

   from 
  a 
  female 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  Drum, 
  

   and 
  their 
  size 
  showed 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  born 
  for 
  

   at 
  least 
  ten 
  days. 
  Again, 
  on 
  September 
  28th, 
  1895, 
  three 
  

   young 
  were 
  seen 
  by 
  me 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  female, 
  and 
  these 
  were 
  

   even 
  smaller 
  than 
  those 
  noted 
  on 
  the 
  19th 
  September; 
  so 
  

  

  