Bethel, Maine
1907
Jan'y 22 
  As I was crossing a sunny opening in dense
evergreen woods this forenoon my attention was caught
by a dark spot on a snow bank, under an overhanging
drift. It looked at first glance like a large, lustrous
black berry suspended just above the surface of the snow.
As I gazed at it intently I made out by slow
degrees first the shadowy outline of a pair of erect
ears and finally those of the entire head and body
of a large varying Hare in full winter pelage. It was
a picture drawn in white on a still whiter background
The creature's general coloring looked distinctly if but
faintly yellowish against the absolutely pure white of 
the fresh fallen snow. Its fur showed shadowy modelling
in places as if it had roughly combed. The only
coloring not white nor yellowish, however, was that
of the ears which were grayish in places and of the
partially covered fur which was largely brownish.
For several minutes the Hare or "Rabbit" remained in
a crouching position and absolutely motionless save for
the regular pulsating "winking" of the nose. At
length I approached it slow to within three
yards when it first raised itself slightly by a 
convulsive movement of its long, sinewy legs and then
darted off at full speed skimming the deep soft snow
without seeming to sink into it in the least, moving
with incredible ease and swiftness and without the
slightest audible sound. At times when it was still
in full, unobstructed view I had difficulty in tracing 
its course so perfectly did its coloring match that
of the snow but whenever it passed a tree trunk
or a drooping mass of dark evergreen foliage its
Varying Hare.