THE MOUNTAIN HARE 
fur thicker and more woolly in texture. In length the head and body 
measure about 2i\ inches, the tail z\ inches, and the ears about 3^ inches. 
The average weight may be put at 5 or 6 lbs. 
In summer the coat is a dusky yellowish brown in colour, changing 
as the season advances to a bluish grey before assuming the pure white 
of the full winter pelage. 
The under parts and greater portion of the tail are at all times white, 
while the tips of the ears are always black. 
When changing colour these Hares often acquire a patchy or piebald 
appearance and are then very conspicuous. From the observations of 
MacGillivray and others, the chief annual moult takes place in spring, 
but a more or less slight and irregular renewal of the coat may occur 
at other times of the year. The change of colour generally begins in 
September, when the brown of summer turns to bluish grey, and gradually 
bleaching, usually attains its pure winter whiteness by December. Often 
however some brown remains about the head and ears, while the back 
is grizzled with darker hairs, as shown in Plate 35. Individuals also 
differ considerably when renewing their summer coat and frequently retain 
a good deal of their winter colouring till April. 
This species inhabits the northern as well as the mountainous parts 
of Europe and is also widely distributed in the Arctic regions. A closely 
related species takes its place in North America. 
In the British Islands the chief headquarters of the Mountain Hare 
are in the Highlands of northern and central Scotland. At one time it 
appears to have inhabited the Orkneys, though now extinct there, but 
it exists on some of the Hebridean Islands, where it has been introduced 
at various times. Its range has lately been extended in many parts of 
southern and south-western Scotland, mainly by introduction. In 
Midlothian, it is found on the Pentlands and Moorfoots, among the 
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