Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-08-06
hARES AND RABBITS.
Description of a Rodent That May be De
nominated An Agricultural Pest.

| we'll marked one. There are four in
cisor teeth in the upper jaw, the second
par being quite small. and placed
| directly behind the principal pair,
which are deeply grooved in front.
There are six molar teeth in each upper
jaw, and five.in each lower jaw; they
| are not provided with roots. The much
heightened hind limbs. the long ears,
| and the short, erect tail are all charac-
teristics of this family.
The common burrowing rabbit OF
Europe Qepus cuniculus), from which
| our tame species is descended, is now
found wild in several places in North
America. On Sable Island it is very
| common. and Rabbit Key, near Key
West, is completely overrun with these
! animals. The color IN the wild state is
brownish-gray above, white beneath.
1t is very destructive animal, and
makes sad havoc in the vegetable gar
| den. Fortunately it's flesh is excellent
| eating. and it so atones on the table for
the damage done in the fields. The
rabbit digs burrows in the earth, gen.
orally large numbers of them beng
found together, Kidding the ground
ren This is very prolific species, and
multiplies rapidly when not much mo-
Tested. The female produces as many
as five or six litters of young in single
year.
The rabbit is hunted, when found in
coverts, by spaniels or terriers. and
shot as it bounds away, or by driving
them from their burrows with ferret
yhar i'm
quick and sharp shooting is needed to
hit the rabbits. as they bolt before their
enemy with precipitate haste. They
are very tenacious of life, and stand q
great deal of killing, often managing
to tumble into burrow even when very
hard hit. A small and active ferret
should be used. as large one will kill
a rabbit, and remain in the burrow to
devour it, and can with difficulty be
recovered, while q small animal is too
light to hold a 'coney," but is quite
as effectual in driving them from their
burrows. The short legs and burrow-
ing habits of the rabbit at once dis
tinguish it from the true hares. The
latter are, however, commonly called
rabbits in this country.
The commonest species of hare in
the Eastern United States is the wood
hare or grey rabbit Uepus sylvaticus).
This familiar rodent is readily dis
tinguished from the other American
hares by the following characteristics:
Ears shorter than the head, and not
tipped with black; hind feet not longer
than head; color above greyish fawn,
varied with brown; beneath, whitish;
length of head and body; fifteen inches;
weight, from two to two and a half
pounds.
The grey rabbit is most active dur
ing the night, usually spending the
day. except in the breeding season,
crouched in its form" in hollow in
the ground, or in some brush heap, or
thick clump of bushes. When fright
ened from its form" it bounds away
with great speed for a hundred yards
or SO, and then stops to listen before
running on. When chased by dogs, if
the underwood be thick, it winds and
doubles through the brush, and not in
frequently throws off its pursuers. If
hard pressed, it takes refuge in some
hollow tree, or in burrow made by
the woodchuck or skunk. This spe-
cies does not itself dig any burrow, the
young being brought forth in tree
hollow at its base, or in some similar
hiding place. The female produces
three litters in a season, and the young
number from five to seven at birth.
When angry or alarmed. this hare has
the habit, common to all the genus, of
stamping on the ground with its hind
feet, making great deal of noise for
so small an animal. The only cry of
this animal is a plaintive squeal when
captured or hurt, the hares having no
note or call of recognition. Its food is
very various, and few gardeners will
need to be told that the cotton tail''
is often very destructive. The
suffer alike, many trees be-
the winter by being girdled by the
sharp teeth of the rodent. When rab-
bits have once effected an entrance into
a vegetable garden, they usually return
every night until they are trapped or
shot. The grey rabbit is not easily
tanned, and does not appear to thrive
in captivity, although they breed
readily enough in enclosed warrens.
This species has many enemies, being
one of the most helpless of animals,
for although swift of foot, it possesses
but little endurance, and is soon over
taken by dogs. foxes, wild cats. or its
implacable enemy, the ermine. Eagles,
hawks. owls and snakes also prey upon
the unfortunate cotton tail, es-
pee ally the young animals.
West OF the Mississippi River are
found three varieties of the Sylvaticus,
which differ very little from the East
ern type, either in form or habits; they
are merely local races.
The northern hare, or white rabbit
.Uepus Americanus), is easily known
from the common grey species. 1t is
much larger than the latter, measuring
from seventeen to eighteen inches in
length from point of nose to root of
tail, and attaining weight of five and
one-half to six pounds. The hind feet are
longer than the head, and the ears
equal in length to tie head. The color
in summer is a cinnamon brown, white
beneath; in winter, in northern lati-
tudes, almost pure white; in New York
and Pennsylvania, clouded with browns;
tips of the ears black. The hind
limbs are nearly twice the length of
the fore legs, and the soles of all the
feet are closely covered with hair.
The home of this hare is always in
deep forests, it being very rarely seen
in the open country. 1t prefers dense
fir woods and ..wind-falls," often tax
ing up its residence in the branches of
a fallen tree. Its food consists of
grasses, tree buds. the bark of trees, etc.
The farmer never sustains any injury
from this species, it never being found
in the neighborhood of vegetable gar
dens or orchards. This is a nocturnal
animal, and remains in its form