34 The Mammals of Colorado 
country, living on the plains, or in such cases as when they 
live in the mountains they are found in the open parks and 
not in the timber, as in the case of the Snow-shoe Rabbit, 
or else they are found inhabiting the high Alpine slopes and 
meadows above timber-line. The White-tailed Jacks are the 
only ones which are found in these high altitudes; we have 
no record of the Black-tails reaching an altitude of over 
8,000 feet. 
Usually Jack Rabbits do not live in burrows, but make 
forms under bushes or clumps of weeds. In some localities 
the sagebrush (Artemisia) affords shelter, and in others the 
shrubby "rabbit brush" {Chrysothamnus and its allies) 
is their haunt, as it often grows in great abundance on the 
plains and makes excellent cover. While more or less of 
diurnal habits, yet the Jack Rabbit is most likely to be 
about in the early morning and the late afternoon, or just 
at dusk. Thanks to their size, when full grown they have 
not very many enemies, as coyotes, wolves, and eagles are 
about the only animals which can catch and kill them then, 
though of course bobcats and mountain lions may pick 
them up occasionally when the opportunity offers, but these 
latter animals do not hunt much in such ground as the 
Jack Rabbits frequent. The larger hawks and owls, as 
well as weasels, kill the young rabbits, very possibly in 
considerable numbers, and snakes most likely capture a 
small one now and again. 
All rabbits are vegetarians, not eating flesh, except in those 
instances where domesticated rabbits have been known to 
devour their own young. This vegetable food consists of 
grass and other herbaceous plants, and the leaves, buds, bark, 
and fruit of woody plants or trees. The green soft plants are 
of course preferred, but under stress of hunger almost any part 
of the plant the animal can get at is eaten. Thus in winter, 
when there are deep snows, the bark of valuable orchard and 
