The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-01-25
Habits Of Northern Hares.

The foes of the hare are many
hawks, owls, polecats. weasels. minks,
snakes, dogs and wild and domestic
cats. When attacked it yields passively
to its fate. Speed and strategy are its
sole defense, and in these it lacks little.
No fox is shrewder than an old buck
hare, who. when pursued, doubles and
twists, now turning aside to let the foe
pass on, and then taking the back track
it passes through form after form of his
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 a
hollow tree and force himself up a yard
or more, like chimney-sweep. A
young hare usually seeks a burrow or a
hollow log at the outset, and ordinarily
becomes an easy prey. The doe, how
ever, will fight like little fury to de-
fend her leverets, though never for her
own safety. In defense of her young
she has been known to attack and de-
feat a good-sized black or rattlesnake,
leaping over and stamping him with her
powerful legs until he was killed or in
gloriously fed. The snake vainly strikes
his fangs against her thick mantle OF
hair. The males fight among them
selves for possession of the females,
making great fuss by stamping on the
ground and leaping at one another,
though seldom with more dire results
than sheer exhaustion.
When wounded. suddenly seized OF
frightened, the hare utters quick
clear, sharp, wailing sound, like que.
a-a-a-a! que-a-a-a! strikingly like very
young infant. When quite near a placs
where hares are playing or fighting on
may hear low, peculiar purring sound
They also stamp the ground violently
with their hind Ieet, producing the Pc
culiar sound known as drumming.
The Northern hare prefers evergreen
forests and frequents the dry knobs
contiguous to swamps in summer. and
the swamps themselves in winter. 1t
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; it never
troubles the farmer save during winters
of extraordinary severity and is far less
prolific. 1t 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
grayish color in summer, assuming
more of the leaden hue in autumn, in
winter becoming white or whitish yell
low. notified with ocherish or tawny
spots and blotches. 1t also runs in
circle when pursued. and, once missed
by the gunner, it is only necessary to
wait patiently for its speedy return.
l think their vision is even more imper-
feet than the sylvan variety. since on
more than one occasion. when closely
pursued by the hound, l have known
them to dash against intervening obsta-
cles so violently as to cause instant
death. Both species are easily killed,
very tritling wound being sufficient to
stop one in his headlong career, and
bo h are to be avoided in the spring,
since they are then low in flesh and apt
to harhor disgusting parasites, espec-
tally playing the host to the larvae of
species of Gstrus or CAD fly that de-
posts its egg beneath the skin on eth
er side of the neck.-Anertcan A0ri
cuiturist.