THE LIVING WORLD. 
489 
is reddish-brown, the lips and chin brownish-white, the ears dusky on their 
anterior half, grayish on the posterior with the tip black, the nape whitish ; 
the general color of the upper parts is dull grayish-black, intermixed with red¬ 
dish. The long hairs are gray at the base, then black, with a small portion 
of a yellowish tint, the tip black. Some of the longer hairs are entirely 
black. The fine hair or under fur is light-gray at the base, pale reddish- 
brown at the end. The tail is grayish-white. The lower parts are grayish- 
white, as are the legs over the greater part of their extent; the toes brown, 
the claws dusky. 
In September the colors begin to assume a paler tint, many of the dusky 
hairs having disappeared. I 11 October the change is farther advanced, and to¬ 
wards the end of the month the muzzle, hind neck and feet are white, though 
there are spots and patches dispersed here and there. In December the fur 
seems entirely white, but has an intermixture of long blackish hairs on the 
back; the anterior external part of the ear is brownish and its tip black. The 
under-fur is light bluish-gray at the base, pale yellowish or cream color towards 
the end. In this species the hair is almost always changing; in April and 
May there is a general but gradual shedding, after which the summer colors 
are seen in perfection; towards the middle of autumn many new white hairs 
have been substituted for colored ones, and by degrees all the hairs and fur 
are shed, and renewed before the end of December, when the fur is in the per¬ 
fection of its winter condition, being closer, fuller and longer than in summer. 
The white hare is not uncommon in the middle and northern divisions 
•of Scotland, residing in the valleys of the Grampian and other mountainous 
tracts, but not ascending the hills to their summits, although in summer it 
keeps on the ferny slopes. This species also occurs in some of the northern 
parts of England. In winter, it descends to the bottom of the valleys, but 
never visits the lower districts. It does not burrow, but conceals itself among 
the ferns or heath, often in stony or rocky places. Its flesh is whiter than 
that of the common hare, generally leaner and therefore less esteemed. It is 
said to be easily domesticated if taken young, and to exhibit less timidity and 
more playfulness than the common hare. 
The California Hare (.Lepus californiciis ) is long and slender, it has a long 
tail and ears, it is reddish-brown above, but the under parts are yellowish-white. 
The average length is less than two feet. It differs from its relatives in its 
degree of fleetness and in its timidity, in which qualities it is their successful 
rival. This hare is to be found in California and the southern part of Oregon. 
The Sage Rabbit {Lepus artemisia) from the west and from the plains of 
Mexico and Texas, cannot be satisfactorily distinguished from the last species. 
The Jackass Rabbit, or Texan Hare {Lepus callotis ), is so named from its 
very long ears, which measure about five inches, though the animal is rather 
smaller than the European hare. It is yellowish-gray above, waved irregularly 
with black; the upper part of its tail is black, sides gray, and it is a dull whitish 
below; its nap is a sooty-black. It is found in Mexico, Texas and Oregon. 
The long and slender legs indicate rapid locomotion and a capacity for making 
long leaps ; it is a solitary and not very common species, and has not been 
found in California. 
Rabbits at home will sit in their doorways even when they have been 
driven thither by the hunter. The dead are always removed from the warren 
