4 88 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
fur or fine hairs are white, with the extremity dusky. The length to the ends of 
the tail is about twenty-six inches, the head five, the tail three and a half, and 
the ears about four and three-fourths inches long. 
The common hare feeds entirely on vegetable substances, such as grass, 
clover, corn, turnips and the bark of young trees, sometimes inflicting great 
injury on the latter, especially in winter. Towards evening it comes abroad in 
quest of food, and continues to search for it during the night, in conformity with 
which habit, the pupils of the eyes are large and of an oblong form. It advances 
by leaps, and as its hind legs are much longer than its fore legs, it runs with 
more ease up an inclined plane than down a declivity, especially if this be 
steep. During the day it reposes in a crouching or half-sitting position in its 
form, which is a selected spot usually resorted to by it, amidst grass or ferns, 
or in the midst of shrubs. 
Its sense of seeing and of hearing are extremely acute; its eyes, being 
directly on the sides of the head, take in a wide range, and its large ears can 
be readily turned in any direction, forward, outward or backward, so as to 
catch the slightest sound. Being in a manner defenceless, and having no 
burrow or fastness to which it may retreat, it must trust to its vigilance and 
great speed to enable it to elude its numerous enemies. The excellence of its 
flesh makes it liable to be destroyed. Moreover, its frequent occurrence, extreme 
timidity and great speed, render it a favorite object of the chase. 
It is chiefly to the lower and more cultivated districts that the common 
hare resorts; but it is also found in the upland valleys, and on the slopes of 
hills at a considerable height. Timid and gentle as it is, it is by no means 
innocuous, for the injury it occasions to the young com is often considerable. In 
winter it finds an abundant supply of food in the turnip fields, and sometimes 
visits gardens at night, especially when urged by hunger during a continued 
frost. It has been observed to cross rivers by swimming, and even to enter the sea 
for the purpose of gaining an island or point of land on which food was more 
abundant. 
The female goes with young thirty days, and several times in the season pro¬ 
duces a litter of from three to five young ones, which are born covered with hair, 
having their eyes open and capable of running. The young squat in the fields, 
remaining motionless, and are with difficulty perceived. Even the old hares are 
not readily driven from their forms, in which they will sometimes remain until 
a person is quite close to them, when they at length start off, exhibiting in 
their motions the haste and perturbation of extreme fear. The timidity of the 
hare is indeed proverbial, as is its propensity to return when wounded or even 
when hunted to its usual place of repose. Besides being pursued with hounds 
and shot for pastime, it is .snared in its form or in the paths which it has made 
in the herbage. Its flesh is superior in flavor to that of the white hare or 
rabbit; and its fur is used for various purposes, especially in the manufacture 
of hats. Large individuals weigh from nine to twelve pounds ; the ordinary 
weight is about eight pounds. 
The White Hare, Variable Hare or Changing Hare (Lepus variabilis ) T is 
considerably smaller than the common hare, which, however, it resembles in 
form, although it has the ears and hind legs proportionally shorter. The num¬ 
ber of toes, and the nature of the fur are the same as in the other species; 
but the latter is softer and more woolly. In the middle of summer the head 
