Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-25
Habits OF Northern Hnres.

The foes of the hare. are many
hawks, owls, polecats, weasels. minks,
: snakes, dogs and wild and domestic
eats. When attacked il yields pasSively
to its fate. Speed and strategy are it,
sole defense, and in these it lacks little
! No fox IS .,hrewder than an old buck.
hare.wh" when pursued. doubles ans
twists " turning aside to let the foe
pass on, and then taking the back track
it passes through form after form of hii
species to break and confuse the scent.
Sometimes when closely pursued he
will bolt another hare, take possession
of his form, trusting the dog will pursue
the fleeing one, guided by his eye rather
than his scent. Again, he Will take to ?
hollow tree and force himself up yard
or more, like ii chimney-Sweep. A
Young hare usually seeks n burrow or Q
hollow log 1T the outset, and ordinarily
becomes an easy prey. The doe, how.
ever, will fight like n little fury to de.
fend her leverets, though never for hel
own safety. I'm defense of her young
she has cen known to attack and de.
feat Il goOd-SiLed black or rattlcSnake.
leaping over and stamping linn with heI
powerful legs until he was killed or in.
gloriOusly fed. The snake vainly strikes
his fangs against her thick mantle o.
hair. The males fight among them.
selves for possession of the females.
making "a great fuss by stamping on the
ground and leaping ut one another.
though seldom with more dire results
'han sheer exhaustion.
When wounded. suddenly seized %,
20 ~ hn hn,. IL
clear, sharp, wailing sound, like que.
a-a-a-a! que-a-a-a. strikingly like avery
young infant. When quite near place
where hares are playing or fighting one
may hear low, peculiar purring sound
They also stamp the ground violently
with their hind feet, producing the pc
culiar sound known rs drumming
The Northern hare prefers evergreen
forests and frequents the dry kuol.s
contiguous to swamps in summer. and
the swampS themselves in winter. II
Is one-third TO one-half larger than the
sylvan or gray hare. and every way
more powerful and lOng-winded, more
willy and astute, and never seeks con
cealment beneath the earth; il never
troubles the farmer save during winter.
of extraordinary severity and is far less
prolific. Ii is less suitable for the table
its food, chiefly evergreen buds and
twigs, gives its flesh well marked flavor
of fir tops. This species. is also of q
grayish color i'm summer, assuming
more of the lea len hue in autumn. il
winter becoming white or. whitish vel
low. notified with ocherish or tawny
spots and blotches. Ii also runs in q
circle when pursued. and, once missed
by the gunner, it is only necessary TO
wait patiently for its speedy return.
| think their vision is even more imper.
feet than the sylvan variety. since on
more than one occasion. when closely
pursued by the hound, 1 have known
them to dash against intervening ohsta-
Giles so violently as 10 cause instant
death. Both species are easily killed, q
very trifling wound being sufficient to
stop one in his headlong career. and
both are to bee avoided i'm the spring,
since they are then low in flesh and apt
TO harbor disgusting parasites, espec.
tally playing the host to the larvae of a
species of Rstrus or CAD fly that de-
posts IFS egg beneath the skin on eth.
er side of the neck American AqrC
cHltlIriSf