ANIMALS OP NORTH AMERICA. 
79 
and the leaves and buds of shrubs, but in winter, when the 
snow is deep they gain a precarious subsistence from the buds 
and bark of the willow, the birch, and the poplar. When pur- 
sued, the rabbit (so called) soon becomes wearied, but the 
hare is so fleet that being in no fear of being overtaken by its 
pursuers, it seeks no concealment; it has been known by 
measurement to clear 21 feet at one bound, and its body is so 
light in comparison with its broad, furry feet, that it is enabled 
to skim easily along the surface of deep snows, while the 
wearied hounds plunge in at every bound. There are thirteen 
other species, but all confined to Arctic latitudes. 
