St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-03-10
A SLIPPERY RABBIT.
ssrr HERE amt no use talkin,,a said Wan

mons swamp, with two dogs runnin and
one pointin', and that there rabbit just
slipped right past US, round us and nothin'
but dog hung up IN a barbed wire fence
to show for it. the burned foolp
The rabbit" of which Reading spoke is a
great northern hare which appeared in Sol
omon' S swamp, northwest of Long Branch.
N. j., FIVE years ago and has been there ever
since, in spite of the most persistent hunting
to which so small an animal was ever sub
jected in that locality. 1t is probably the
only hare in Monmouth county, being vis-
itor from the Catskills. 1t has no mate Of its
own race, but, judging from tracks found
in the snow, hunters say it is not unlikely
that the hare is formidable rival of the
smaller buck bunnies which made Solomon .
swamp their home and fighting ground pre-
vious to his arrival On one occasion a
hunter found the hare's tracks on that of an
ordinary rabbits, and, following the two
trails, he came to the dead body of an un-
usually large buck bunny. The bunny neck
was broken and the tender fur broken by
long scratches. There was no installing the
work of the hare's long hind leg.
..Unele Dan" Covert was the first hunter
to meet the hare. He was after foxes in
light snow about Christmas, 1894 z His dog
failed to jump anything until Solomon,s
swamp was reached, and there ssUnale Dam
saw the biggest rabbit" track he ever saw.
It was in clump of pine, and led toward a
weed grown ridge where wintergreen ber-
ries might be found. That rabbit" had
tracks three times as wide and four times
as long as any he had ever found before.
Added to that were the ymonstrous leaps,
sorae of them eight and ten feet long. the
average at least five feet. u sts
"'Ha-alshzpelled the old hunter to his
dog, and in minute ta1bg was in an as
toni al4ng race The rabbit" was away for
Is minutes and then came back, right past
tfUncle Dan" in the COW path. Jimmy
crirkets!" the hunter gasped, for that "rab-
bit" had a white jacket and gleaped over
the leaning weeds instead of going under
them.
"Unele Dan" told all about that hunt to
his friends, and few days later party
of hunters started after the beast with
seven dogs and two pups. A doctor who had
hunted in the Catskills knew the name OF
the animal.
The hare had to hump itself that day.
Nine hunters scattered through the swamp,
and ridges. The snow was just right and
everybody there was good shot. -Four dogs
got after ordinary rabbits, then the hare
was jumped from brush heap and went
scurrying away northWard. Nobody knew
what way it would take to come back, SO
they took stands at the openings and waited.
All the little rabbits in the place were
alarmed and half dozen were killed. Ihree
dogs got after one fox and holed him over
on Buck hill, and the hare came back
through the thiekest of the second growth.
stPres" Wood got shot at it and drew
blood. The hare crossed hree-yard-wide
open and "Pres" fired, hitting it, SO that a
drop of blood was she'd Solomon's brook
was only hundred yards away, half choked
with ice. The track ended In that, and
none Of the four dogs could pick it up again.
The hare must have foated to hole under
the bank.
When the season opened the following fall
the hare reminded the hunters of its ex-
istence. A couple of hunters would go out
to Solomon 5 swamp and take dog to have
some fun with rabbits. The dog would run
one, or perhaps two, and then the prey
would stop following the regular and we'll
known runways. The dog would circle about
s,-,,a1 It ,,ot oo,.o IN ,;obf Tha game
% ua., -. 49, ~ - 4La le,vine tba
49, s'eo - hnat far5 now r-'nmays All II
~ H. rsa,iJ xalr, aud sa,,eal in great
pain, and hunt for the dog would discover
it tapping its lacerated skin near tangle OF
barbed wire fence in the brush into which
the trail had led the dog. 1t was jersey
fox trick, but the hareadid it.
,,n,, 10 on JV;II;a VVaaalar farm, erts bay
year iatei Y iiie T lns
n'ins heaf Tue swamp, s.ls e II
iashloh, anu ioau eNo y. Z =
SET TOUT very Ealse 1opls. w snal'e, N.h
OF bilel apous nuieieu
ing got my tns ~ atlel saog .,sss ~ ~
hare sla1As Wsls WIN 1Daau g 'eta ~.
tlogesel, y iine 'sls sh a.d
ons os ae 40 = ,oa tlst 4;.a ~ tb
a. "
IoA' i..oal t.sDl VII: 60 ,.t
ess snan 2 @esA iitle sgs stat NJ. IA
ls1 80 az ..'.s hotte tha,.oh ,aassi
aeee lialas siaps ~ ~. psss, s4'o1-
" =. = tot,,'u - ~ i"s1 80 ,.,.
Counsless tl11aes 5he hunters aaye sa lakea
Laelr aogs altsf tiae tslte VII liis us'aL
result. Inc mare IS eas1ly louna. ny ils
great a1.eA ~ - iasnliiieu' auu.ls5 ioai,aa
2ropensstles take " over 70 h.ucn ereulo
nat cold trans are eve1yWheFe W ~ 7 p lhe snow,
easily foltoWea Dy slgnt. IN pare groun1 11
one mas 70 Jump y put aog loioWs lss eoia
iran toiefapiy easiiy' ana nail uay : WorN
Eouts u OUT. he uoss lpse pie elati sa Afool.r
Dr. later, soineIles alIeF zen OF i1teen MINI
ltes' again mot m uhtli tney uro3 aown u lfollI
aknauatlon q, Inc naIe seems Y lose Alaslh
VIII, oue NJ, rather enjoys : lops run onse ~
aWnhe. Inc lasoilse sIich = 70 leau m sns
iound INTO Ienss " IN lae sslch IN p1lets.s Lae