AMERICAN HARE. 137 
Very judicious manner in which they dry them. 
The ricks they thus form are the origin of fertility 
among the rocks ; for the relics, mixed with the 
dung of the animals, rot in the barren chasms, and 
create a soil productive of vegetation. 
These ricks are also of great service to that part 
of mankind who devote themselves to the laborious 
employment of sable-hunting ; for, being obliged 
to go far from home, their horses would often 
perish for want, had they not the provision of these 
industrious little animals to support them. They 
are easily to be discovered by their height and 
form, even when covered with snow. 
The people of Jakuiz are said to feed both their 
horses and cattle on the remnant of the winter 
stock of these hares. As food, the Alpine hares 
are themselves neglected by mankind ; but they 
are the prey of the sables and the Siberian weasel. 
American hare. 
These have their ears tipt with grey ; the upper 
part of the tail black, the lower white ; the neck 
and body mixed with ash, rust colour, and black. 
Their legs are of a pale ferruginous colour ; their 
belly white. Their fore legs are shorter, and 
their hind ones longer in proportion than those of 
the common hare. They are about the size of the 
rabbit, as they measure eighteen inches in length, 
and weigh from three to four pounds and a half. 
They inhabit all parts of North America. In 
New Jersey, and the colonies to the south of that 
province, they retain their colour during the whole 
year. But to the northward, on the appr oach of 
winter, they change their short summer fur, for one 
very long, silky, and silvery, even to the roots, the 
edges of the ears only preserving their colour. At 
thattime, it is in the highest season for the table, and 
voi, n. y 
