215 



cept in frost or snow, when we have noticed 

 a holly, fully a foot in diameter, very much 

 gnawed, and from the height of the mark 

 above the snow, we judged that the bark of 

 the tree had been nibbled by hares, and not 

 rabbits. It is usually believed that hares are 

 very fond of Laburnum, and will eat the bark, 

 if obtainable, in preference to that of any 

 other tree, so we planted a great number in 

 the shrubberies, hoping to keep the hares 

 from the more valuable young trees and 

 shrubs. In this, however, we were quite 

 unsuccessful, for the Laburnums were almost 

 the only trees they never touched. 



The Hare has very slight powers of self- J 

 defence, and it is besides so exceedingly 

 timid, that it very seldom uses those it ■ 

 possesses. When fighting with another of its 1 

 kind it strikes with the hind foot, with which I 

 it can inflict a severe wound. In play they 

 frill often have regular boxing matches, at 

 these times using only their fore feet for 

 hitting. Hares will not feed with rabbits, 

 but will leave the ground freemen ted by the 

 weaker animal. 



The eyes of the Hare are so placed, that it 

 can see very well at the side, and also pretty 

 well behind, though straight in front the 

 vision appears imperfect. This will account 

 for the manner in which a hare runs straight 

 towards a sportsman or other person, when 

 standing still, even striking against their legs, | 

 unless diverted from its course by some 

 movement. One of us leaning over a gate 

 by a cover, was surprised to see a leveret 

 come up and gnaw the wood of the gate. 

 The Hare is a very keen-scented animal, and j 

 we have often seen one following the trail of j 

 another some time after the first had passed. 

 Their ears are lengthened, and formed to 

 catch the slightest sound, warning them of 

 the approach of danger. 



The Hare makes use of many ingenious j 

 devices when frightened, and always, if 

 possible, runs up-hill, for here the length of 

 its hind legs gives it a great advantage over 

 its pursuers. We have had especially good 



opportunities of observing its stratagems 

 when hunted, having kept a pack of beagles 

 for two seasons. We have seen one when 

 hard pressed box another up out of her form, 

 and lying down in it herself leave the fresh 

 one to be chased in her place. When dead 

 beat they will take refuge in any available 

 place; our hounds hunted one into a dairy, 

 greatly to the amusement of the farmer and 

 his wife, and we saw another try to evade 

 pursuit by squeezing into a rabbit hole, an 

 attempt in which, of course, she was unsuc- 

 cessful. When the scent is had the}- will 

 often perplex both hounds and huntsman by 

 running back on their own tracks, and sud- 

 denly jumping aside and lying concealed in 

 the gra^s. where they will wait till the hounds 

 have gone by. When lying on ploughed 

 land they will trust entirely to their colour 

 as a means of concealment, and almost allow 

 themselves to be trodden upon before running 

 away. When in pain the hare utters a crv 

 almost like that of an infant, but at other 

 times we have never heard any sound escape 

 them. Hares seem rather to enjoy being 

 hunted by puppies, whose pace they have 

 tried, and from whose pursuit they know 

 there i.-> no danger. One in particular we 

 used to see hunted every morning by a 

 couple of foxhound puppies, reared by us a 

 few years a«o. She would run up the lawn, 

 and then sit down and wait till the puppies 

 had nearly caught her, and then running on, 

 would resume her seat a little further away. 



The Hare possesses great jumping powers 

 in comparison with other animals, but never 

 uses them except when pursued by grev- 

 hounds, and then only when actually in dan- 

 ger. It is a short-lived animal, the natural 

 term of its existence being about seven or 

 eight years ; but Cowper, who, as everyone 

 knows, kept Hares as pets, records an 

 instance of one of his which lived to the age 

 of twelve years. 



X.B. — The sentences between inverted 

 commas are quotations from Maunders's 

 Treasury of Natural History. 



