22 Grey Rabbit, Old & Young
LEPUS SYLVATICUS.--BACHMAN.
[Sylvilagus floridanus]
GRAY RABBIT.
[Eastern Cotton tail]
PLATE XXII. OLD MALE, FEMALE, and YOUNG.
L. auribus capite curtioribus, aurium apice et margine aut nigro; corpore
L. Americano minore, supra cinereo-fulva, fusco mixto, subtus subalbido.
CHARACTERS.
Smaller than the Northern hare; ears, shorter than the head, not tipped or
margined with black; colour, grayish-fawn, varied with brown above; whitish
beneath.
SYNONYMES.
CONY, Third Voyage of the English to Virginia, 1586, by Thomas Herriott.
From Pinkerton's Voy., vol. xii., p. 600.
HARE, HEDGE CONEY, Lawson, p. 122, Catesby, Appendix 28.
AMERICAN HARE, Kalm's Travels, vol. i., p. 105.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Desmarest, Mam., p. 351.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Harlan, Fauna, p. 193.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii., p. 157.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Audubon, Birds of America, vol. ii., p. 51, in the talons
of Falco Borealis; Ornithological Biography, vol. i., p. 272.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Bach., Jour. Ac. Sc. Phil., vol. vii., p. 326.
LEPUS SYLVATICUS, Bach., Jour. Ac. Sc. Phil., vol. vii., p. 403, &
vol. viii., p. 78 & 326.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Emmons, Mass. Report, 1840, p. 56.
LEPUS NANUS, Dekay, Nat. Hist. of New-York, 1842.
DESCRIPTION.
This species bears some resemblance to the European burrowing rabbit, (L.
cuniculus,) in the gray colour which is natural to the latter in a wild state,
but does not change to the different colours the European rabbit presents in a
state of domestication. It is a little smaller, and is of a more slender form
than L. cuniculus. Head, short; eyes, large; ears, well clothed with short
hairs on the outer surface; within, the hairs are a little longer, but less
dense, the outer border for the fourth of an inch pretty well covered, but
nearer the orifice the skin visible through the thinly scattered hairs; legs, of
moderate size; claws, strong, sharp, and nearly straight, concealed by the hair;
tail, longer in proportion than that of the Northern hare. Fur, compact and
soft, about an inch and a quarter in length in winter.
COLOUR.
Summer dress.--Fur on the back, yellowish-brown; soft fur, from the roots
to the surface, plumbeous; the long hairs which extend beyond the fur, and give
the general colour to the animal, are for three-fourths of their length lead
coloured, then yellowish, and are tipped with black. Ears, dark-brown on the
outer surface, destitute of the distinct black border seen in the Northern hare,
and not tipped with black like those of the Polar and the variable hare;
whiskers, nearly all black; iris, light brownish-yellow; a circle of fawn colour
around the eye, more conspicuous nearest the forehead. Cheeks, grayish; chin,
under surface of body, and inner surface of legs, light grayish-white; tail,
upper surface grayish-brown, beneath, white. Breast, light yellowish-gray;
behind the ears, a broad patch of fawn colour; outer surface of fore-legs and
thighs, yellowish-brown.
Winter colour.--Very similar to the above; in a few specimens, the hairs
are whitest at the tips; in others, black tips prevail. This Hare never becomes
white in any part of our country, and so far as our researches have extended, we
have scarcely found any variety in its colouring.
DIMENSIONS.
Adult Male. Inches. Lines.
Length of head and body . . . . . . . . 15 0
head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5
ears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0
tail (vertebrae). . . . . . . . . . . 1 2
tail, including fur. . . . . . . . . . 2 2
From heel to end of middle claw. . . . . . 3 7
Weight, 2 lbs. 7oz.
HABITS.
This species abounds in our woods and forests, even in their densest
coverts; it is fond of places overgrown with young pines thickly crowded
together, or thickets of the high bush-blackberry, (Rubus villosus;) and is also
fond of frequenting farms and plantations, and occupying the coppices and grassy
spots in the neighbourhood of cultivation, remaining in its form by day,
concealed by a brush-heap, a tuft of grass, or some hedge-row on the side of an
old fence; from which retreat it issues at night, to regale itself on the
clover, turnips, or corn-fields of the farmer. It not unfrequently divests the
young trees in the nursery of their bark; it often makes inroads upon the
kitchen-garden, feasting on the young green peas, lettuces, cabbages, &c., and
doing a great deal of mischief; and when it has once had an opportunity of
tasting these dainties, it becomes difficult to prevent its making a nightly
visit to them. Although the place at which it entered may be carefully closed,
the Rabbit is sure to dig a fresh hole every night in its immediate vicinity;
and snares, traps, or guns, are the best auxiliaries in such cases, soon putting
an end to farther depredations.
This animal, when first started, runs with greater swiftness, and makes
fewer doublings than the Northern hare, (L. Americanus;) having advanced a
hundred yards or more, it stops to listen; finding itself pursued by dogs,
should the woods be open and free from swamps or thickets, it runs directly
toward some hole in the root of a tree or hollow log. In the lower parts of
Carolina, where it finds protection in briar patches, and places thickly
overgrown with smilax and other vines, it continues much longer on foot, and by
winding and turning in places inaccessible to larger animals, frequently makes
its escape from its pursuers, without the necessity of resorting for shelter to
a hollow tree.
The Gray Rabbit possesses the habit of all the other species of this genus
with which we are acquainted, of stamping with its hind feet on the earth when
alarmed at night, and when the males are engaged in combat. It is also seen
during the spring season, in wood-paths and along the edges of fields, seeking
food late in the mornings and early in the afternoons, and during the breeding
season even at mid-day: on such occasions it may be approached and shot with
great ease. This species, like all the true hares, has no note of recognition,
and its voice is never heard except when wounded or at the moment of its
capture, when it utters a shrill, plaintive cry, like that of a young child in
pain; in the Northern hare this cry is louder, shriller, and of longer
continuance. The common domesticated European rabbit seems more easily made to
cry out in this way than any other of the genus.
Dr. RICHARDSON, in his work on the American quadrupeds, expresses an
opinion from a careful examination of many specimens in different States, that
the change to the winter dress in the Northern hare is effected not by a
shedding of its hair, but by a lengthening and blanching of the summer fur.
Having watched the progress of this change in the present species in a state of
confinement, and having also examined many specimens at all seasons of the year,
we have arrived at the opposite conclusion as far as regards the Gray Rabbit.
In autumn, the greater portion, if not all, the summer fur drops off in spots,
and is gradually replaced by the winter coat. In this state, as there are
shades of difference between the summer and winter colours, the animal presents
a somewhat singular appearance, exhibiting at the same time, like the Northern
hare, (although far less conspicuously,) patches of different colours. The Gray
Rabbit, although it breeds freely in enclosed warrens, seldom becomes tame, and
will probably never be domesticated. When captive, it seems to be constantly
engaged in trying to find some means of escape; and though it digs no burrows in
a state of nature, yet, when confined, it is capable of digging to the depth of
a foot or more under a wall, in order to effect its object. We, however, at the
house of Dr. DE BENNEVILLE at Milestown, near Philadelphia, saw five or six that
were taken from the nest when very young and brought up by hand, so completely
tamed that they came at the call and leapt upon the lap of their feeder; they
lived sociably and without restraint in the yard, among the dogs and poultry.
The former, although accustomed to chase the wild rabbit, never molesting those
which had, in this manner, grown up with them, and now made a part of the motley
tenants of the poultry-yard. We have not only observed dogs peacefully
associating with the hare, when thus tamed, but have seen hounds accustomed to
the chase of the deer, eating from the same platter with one of those animals
that was domesticated and loose in the yard, refraining from molesting it, and
even defending it from the attacks of strangers of their own species that
happened to come into the premises; and when this tame deer, which occasionally
visited the woods, was started by the pack of hounds here referred to, they
refused to pursue it.
The Gray Rabbit is one of the most prolific of all our species of this
genus; in the Northern States it produces young about three times in the season,
from five to seven at a litter; whilst in Carolina its young are frequently
brought forth as early as the twentieth of February, as late as the middle of
October, and in all the intermediate months. Nature seems thus to have made a
wise provision for the preservation of the species, since no animal is more
defenceless or possesses more numerous enemies. Although it can run with
considerable swiftness for some distance, its strength in a short time is
exhausted, and an active dog would soon overtake it if it did not take shelter
in some hole in the earth, heap of logs, or stones, or in a tree with a hollow
near its root; in these retreats it is often captured by young hunters.
In the Northern and Middle States, where the burrows of the Maryland marmot
(Arctomys monax) and the holes resorted to by the common skunk, (Mephitis
chinga,) are numerous, the Gray Rabbit in order to effect its escape when
pursued betakes itself to them; and as they are generally deep, or placed among
rocks or roots, it would require more labour to unearth it when it has taken
possession of either of these animals retreats than it is worth, and it is
generally left unmolested. It is not always safe in these cases, however, for
the skunk occasionally is "at home" when the Rabbit runs into his hole, and
often catches and devours the astonished fugitive before it can retrace its
steps and reach the mouth of the burrow.
This species is also captured occasionally by the skunk and other
carnivorous animals when in its form. Its most formidable enemy, however, is
the ermine, which follows its tracks until it retires to a hole in the earth or
to a hollow tree, which the little but ferocious creature, although not
one-fourth as large as the timid Rabbit, quickly enters and kills it--eating off
the head, and leaving the body until a want of food compels it to return for
more.
Whilst residing in the State of New-York many years ago, we were desirous
of preserving a number of Rabbits during the winter from the excessive cold and
from the hands of the hunters, who killed so many that we feared the race would
be nearly extirpated in our neighbourhood; our design being to set them at
liberty in the spring. At this period we had in confinement several weasels of
two species existing in that part of the country (Putorius erminea and P.
fusca,) in order to ascertain in what manner their change of colour from brown
in summer to white in winter, and vice versa, was effected.
We bethought ourselves of using one of each species of these weasels
instead of a ferret, to aid in taking the Rabbits we wanted, and having provided
ourselves with a man and a dog to hunt the Rabbits to their holes, we took the
weasels in a little tin box with us, having first tied a small cord around their
necks in such a manner as to prevent them from escaping, or remaining in the
holes to eat the Rabbits, whilst it could not slip and choke them.
We soon raced a Rabbit to its hole, and our first experiment was made with
the little brown weasel, (P. fusca;) it appeared to be frightened, and refused
to enter the hole; the common species, (P. erminea,) although we had captured
the individual but a few days before, entered readily; but having its jaws at
liberty, it killed the Rabbit. Relinquishing the weasel to our man, he
afterwards filed its teeth down, to prevent it from destroying the Rabbits; and
when thus rendered harmless, the ermine pursued the Rabbits to the bottom of
their holes, and terrified them so that they instantly fled to the entrance and
were taken alive in the hand; and although they sometimes scrambled up some
distance in a hollow tree, their active and perservering little foe followed
them and instantly forced them down. In this manner the man procured twelve
Rabbits alive in the course of one morning, and more than fifty in about three
weeks, when we requested him to desist.
On more than one occasion we have seen the tracks of this species on the
snow, giving evidence by their distance from each other that the animal had
passed rapidly, running under the influence of fear. Examining the surface of
the snow carefully, we observed the foot-prints of the weasel, as if in pursuit,
and following up the double trail, we found at the mouth of a hole a short
distance beyond, the mutilated remains of the luckless Rabbit.
The Canada lynx, the Bay lynx, (wild cat,) the red and the gray fox, &c.,
capture this species by stratagem or stealth; various species of hawks and owls
prey upon them, and the rattle-snake, chicken-snake, and other serpents, have
been killed with the Gray Rabbit in their stomach. These reptiles probably
caught their victims by stratagem, or by stealing upon them when in their form,
and enclosing them in their twining folds, as the boa constrictor captures
larger animals.
In order to catch or kill the Gray Rabbit, different means are resorted to
according to the fancy of the hunter or the nature of the locality in which the
animal may be. In the northern parts of the United States it is pursued with
dogs, and either shot or taken from the hole or other retreat to which it may
have been driven. It is also frequently captured in box-traps, or snares,
placed in the gaps of some brush-fence made in the woods for the purpose. In
the Southern States it is generally hunted with pointer dogs and shot at the
moment when it leaps from its form.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.
We have not heard of the existence of this species farther north than the
southern counties of the State of New Hampshire, beyond which it is replaced by
other and larger species. It cannot be said to be abundant in the New England
States, except in a few localities, and it does not seem to prefer high
mountainous regions. In occasional botanical excursions among the Catskill
mountains and those of Vermont and New Hampshire, where we saw considerable
numbers of the Northern hare, we found scarcely any traces of the present
species, especially in the mountains east of the Hudson river. It exists in the
chain of the Alleganies running through Virginia to the upper parts of Carolina.
But is there far from being abundant. It was exceedingly scarce north-east of
Albany thirty-five years ago, where it has now become far more numerous than the
Northern hare, which was then the only species usually met with. It abounds in
the sandy regions covered with pine trees west of that city. From Dutchess
county to the southern limits of New-York it is found in considerable numbers.
In Pennsylvania, New-Jersey, Maryland, and all the Southern States, hunting the
Gray Rabbit affords more amusement to young sportsmen than the pursuit of any
other quadruped in the country. We have traced this species through all the
higher portions of Florida. To the west we have seen it in all the Southern
States, and it is very abundant on the upper Missouri River to nearly 1000 miles
above Saint Louis.
GENERAL REMARKS.
This being the most common hare in the Atlantic States of America, it has
been longest and most familiarly known. HERRIOTT, who gave an account of the
third voyage of the English to Virginia in 1586, in enumerating the natural
productions or that country, under the head of Conies, says, "Those that we have
seen, and all that we can hear of, are of a gray colour like unto hares; in some
places there are such plenty that all the people, of some towns, make them
mantles of the fur, or fleece of the skins of those which they usually take."
It is subsequently mentioned by the intrepid Governor SMITH of Virginia, by
LAWSON and by CATESBY. KALM, in the 1st vol. of his Travels in America, gave a
correct description, not only of the animal, but of its habits. The following
is an extract from his Journal; the entry was made either at Philadelphia or his
favourite retreat "Racoon," in the vicinity of that city, on the 6th Jan. 1749.
"There are a great number of hares in this country, but they differ from our
Swedish ones in their size, which is very small, and but little bigger than that
of a rabbit; they keep almost the same gray colour both in summer and winter,
which our Northern hares have in summer only; the tip of their ears is always
gray, and not black; the tail is likewise gray on the upper side, at all
seasons; they breed several times a year. In spring they lodge their young ones
in hollow trees, and in summer, in the months of June and July, they breed in
the grass. When they are surprised they commonly take refuge in hollow trees,
out of which they are taken by means of a crooked stick, or by cutting a hole
into the tree opposite to the place where they lie; or by smoke which is
occasioned by making a fire on the outside of the tree. On all these occasions
the grayhounds must be at hand. These hares never bite, and can be touched
without any danger. In the day-time they usually lie in hollow trees, and
hardly ever stir from thence unless they be disturbed by men or dogs; but in the
night they come out and seek their food. In bad weather, or when it snows, they
lie close for a day or two, and do not venture to leave their retreats. They do
a great deal of mischief in the cabbage-fields, but apple-trees suffer
infinitely more from them, for they peel off all the bark next to the ground.
The people here are agreed that the hares are fatter in a cold and severe winter
than in a mild and wet one, for which they could give me several reasons from
their own conjectures. The skin is useless, because it is so loose that it can
be drawn off; for when you would separate it from the flesh, you need only pull
at the fur and the skin follows. These hares cannot be tamed. They were at all
times, even in the midst of winter, plagued with a number of common fleas."
In 1820 (as we have observed in our article on L. Americanus) DESMAREST
mistaking the species, gave a pretty good description of the Gray Rabbit, and
unfortunately referred it to L. Americanus. He had evidently been misled by
FORSTER, SCHOEPFF, PENNANT, ERXLEBEN and BODD, who having confounded these two
species, induced him to believe that as he was describing an American hare, only
one American species at that time being known, it must be the one referred to by
previous authors. Hence he quoted GMELIN, SCHOEPFF, ERXLEBEN, PALLAS and BODD,
and gave to the species the extravagant geographical range, from Churchill,
Hudson's Bay, to California, and assigned it a habitation in New-Albion,
Louisiana, Florida, the two Carolinas, &c. HARLAN, in giving an account of the
American quadrupeds in 1825, finding the Gray Rabbit described by DESMAREST,
translated the article very literally, even to its faults, from the French of
that author, (See Encyclopedie de Mammalogie, p. 351.) HARLAN's translation
represents the fur as "becoming whiter during winter, but the ears and tail
remaining always of the same gray." In the following year GODMAN (Amer. Nat.
Hist., vol. ii., p. 157) once more described this species under the (wrong) name
of Lepus Americanus. In speaking of its colour, he says, "in winter the pelage
is nearly or altogether white," and he gives it the extraordinary weight of
seven pounds. This is rather surprising, as we know no city in the union where
the market in winter is better supplied with this species of hare than
Philadelphia.
In this singular manner the Gray Rabbit, the most common and best-known of
all the species of quadrupeds in America, had never received a specific name
that was not pre-occupied. In 1827, we proposed the name of Lepus sylvaticus,
and assigned our reasons for so doing in a subsequent paper, (See Journ. Acad.
Nat. Sc., vol. viii., part 1, p. 75.) In 1840, Dr. EMMONS also, (Report on
Quadrupeds of Massachusetts,) described it under the (wrong) name of L.
Americanus, giving as synonymous, L. Hudsonius, PALLAS; American hare, FORSTER,
PENNANT, Arct. Zool. HEARNE'S Journey, SABINE, PARRY and RICHARDSON; who each
described the Northern hare, and not this species. He, however, quoted HARLAN
and GODMAN correctly, with the exception of the name which they had misapplied.
In 1842 Dr. DEKAY (See Nat. Hist. N. York, part 1st, p. 93) refers this
species to Lepus nanus of SCHREBER, supposing the description of that author,
(which is contained in an old work that is so scarce in America that our
naturalists have seldom had an opportunity of referring to it,) to have escaped
the notice of modern authors. After giving a translation from SCHREBER, he
remarks, "The whole history of the habits of this species, and its abundance,
sufficiently confirm the fact that SCHREBER had our Rabbit in view, although he
was misled by SCHOEPFF and PENNANT, and confounded two species."
We regret that we are obliged to differ from an author who is generally
accurate, and who is always courteous in his language towards other naturalists,
but in this case we must do so.
In order to save the student of natural history the labour of searching for
SCHREBER's work, to refer to his description, we have concluded to insert it
here, together with our translation of the article, adding the references to
authors, &c., which were omitted by DEKAY, and which we conceive very important
in pursuing our inquiries.
EXTRACT FROM SCHREBER.
"DER WABUS, ODER AMERIKANISCHE HASE.
TAB. CCXXXXV. B.
Lepus nanus. Lepus auribus extrorsum nigro marginatis, cauda supra
nigricante.
SYNONYMEN.
LEPUS HUDSONIUS.
LEPUS APICE AURIUM CAUDAEQUE CINEREO, Pall., Nov. Spec. Glis., p. 30, 45,
Zimmerm., E. E. z. 336.
LEPUS AMERICANUS, Lepus cauda abbreviata pedibus postici corpore dimidio
longioribus auricularum caudaeque apicibus griseis, Erxleben. Mamm.,
p. 330.
AMERICAN HARE, Forster, Phil. Tr., lxxii., p. 376, Pennant, Hist.,
p. 372 u. 243.
HARE, HEDGE CONEY, Lawson, Car., p. 122, Catesby's App., p. xxviii.
HARAR, en art som ar midt emellan hare ach canin, Kalm, Rese, vol. ii.,
p. 236, vol. iii, p. 8, 285.
DER AMERIKANISCHE HASE, Forster, von den Thieren in Hudson's Bay, in
Sprenge's Beyt.
DER NORDAMERIKANISCHE HASE, Schoepff.
WABUS, (ALGONQUINISCH,) Jefferson's Notes, (Phil. 1788,) P. 51, 57.
BESCHREIBUNG.
Der Kopf hat nichts Unterscheidendes. Die Backen sind dickharig. Die
Ohren dunne, auswendig dunne behaart, inwendig kahl, und reichen, vorwarts
gebogen, noch nicht bis an die Nasenspitze; nach hinten gelegt, bis an die
Schulterblatter. Ueber den grossen schwarzen Augen vier bis funf Borsten. Die
Bartborsten grossentheils schwarz; einige weiss; die langsten scheinen langer
als der Kopf zu sein.
Die Sommerfarbe ist folgende. Die Ohren braunlich, mit einer sehr schmalen
schwarzen Einfassung am aussern Rande, die an der Spitze eben die Breite behalt,
oder gegen die Spitze hin gar verschwindet. Stirne, Backen, Rucken und Seiten,
Aerme und Schenkel auswendig leicht braun mit Schwarz uberlaufen.
Der Umfang des Afters weiss. Die Fusse dicht und kurz behaart, von einem
hellern leicht Braun, ohne alles Schwarz, an der innern Seite starker in
grau-weiss abfallend. Der Schwanz oben auf von der Farbe des Ruckens,
(vermuthlich starker mit Schwarz uberlaufen, denn Herr PENNANT beschreibt ihn
oben schwarz,) unten weiss. Die Kehle weiss; der Untertheil des Halses leicht
braun, mit Weiss uberlaufen.
Brust, Bauch, innere Aerme und Schenkel, einem weichen Weiss. Die
Winterfarbe, wo sie verschieden, ist weiss. Backenzahne oben und unten auf
jeder Seite funf. Die Lange des Korpers hochstens anderthalb englische Fuss,
des Schwanzes nicht viel uber zwei Zoll. Das Gewicht 2 1/4 bis 3 Pfund; nach
Herrn PENNANT 3 bis 4 1/2 Pfund.
Die underscheidenden Merkmale dieser Art sind nach den Herren FORSTER,
PENNANT und SCHOEPFF, 1. die Grosse; er kommt dem gemeinen und veranderlichen
Hasen lange nicht bei, und ist kaum grosser als ein Kaninchen, daher er auch in
Nord-Amerika nicht selten den Namen Rabbit oder Kaninchen bekommt. 2. Das
Verhaltniss der Fusse; die Vorterfusse sind kurzer und die Hinterfusse langer
als an allen Dreien. 3. Die Farbe der Ohren; sie haben eine schwarze Einfassung
auswendig, aber keinen schwarzen Fleck an der Spitze. Ihre geringere Lange
unterscheidet von den Ohren des gemeinen Hasen. 4. Die Farbe des Schwanzes;
diese ist oben auf nicht schwarz, oder doch nicht so sattschwarz als am Hasen.
5. Die Farbe des Korpers. 6. Die Lebensart und Eigenschaften. Er kann also
unmoglich etwas anders als eine fur sich bestehende Art sein. Sein Vaterland
ist ganz Nord-Amerika, von Hudson's Bay an bis nach Florida hinab. Er schweift
nicht herum, sondern schrankt sich auf kleine Raume ein.
In Hudson's Bay, Canada und Neu-England vertauscht er sein kurzes
Sommerhaar im Herbste gegen ein langes seitenartiges und bis an die Wurzel
silberweisses Haar, und nur der Rand der Ohren und der Schwanz behalten ihre
Farbe, (PENNANT, KALM.) In den sudlichen Landern bleibt die Farbe, auch in den
hartesten Wintern, unverandert, (KALM.)
Daher konnte man diesen Hasen fuglich den halb-veranderlichen nennen."
----------
In carefully reading the above description, the attentive reader can
scarcely have failed to remark that if Lepus Americanus of ERXLEBEN, and Lepus
Hudsonius of PALLAS, are the Northern hare, Lepus nanus must be the same
species, as the descriptions agree in every particular; and where SCHREBER
enters more into detail, he describes the Northern hare still more minutely, and
only confirms us still farther in the conviction that he had never seen the Gray
Rabbit, and was describing the very species he professed to describe, viz., the
Hudson's Bay quadruped of DAINES BARRINGTON, (See vol. lxii. Phil. Trans., p.
11,) and the "American hare, called rabbit at Hudson's Bay," of FORSTER, (See
the above vol., p. 376,) which, however, had already received from two of his
countrymen, PALLAS and ERXLEBEN, the names of L. Americanus and L. Hudsonius.
The time when this description was made must not be overlooked. At the
close of the year 1772, the Philosophical Transactions, containing the two
accounts of this new American hare, were published. No specific Latin name,
such as would according to the binary system which was then coming into use,
entitle the first describer to the species, had as yet been given to it; and
whilst the English naturalists were looking for decided characters by which it
could be distinguished, (and we know from experience with how much difficulty
these characteristics are found in the hares,) the German naturalists, with the
example of LINNAEUS, their next door neighbour, before their eyes, went forward
in hot haste to describe the species. Leaving the English philosophers to cook
their animal, to ascertain by the colour of its flesh whether it was a hare or a
rabbit, they sought for a Latin cognomen, desirous that their own names should
be handed down to posterity along with it. Hence ERXLEBEN, PALLAS and SCHREBER,
(the two former evidently without the knowledge of the latter,) named the
species, very likely, as we are inclined to think, without having had any
specimen before them, and simply attaching a name to the descriptions of the
English naturalists. Be this as it may, in less than three years it had already
received in Germany alone, the several names of L. Americanus, nanus, and
Hudsonius. If SCHREBER, who had the Philosophical Transactions lying before him
when he drew up his description, (for he quotes both the accounts,) and who also
possessed the accounts of ERXLEBEN and PALLAS, had examined a different species,
surely he would have made the discovery; but after a careful examination, and
not a bad description, he gives the size, colour, and measurements of the
Northern hare, and finally quotes FORSTER, PENNANT, SCHOEPFF, &c., as his
authorities for the species.
The name Lepus nanus, given to it by SCHREBER, might at first lead us to
conjecture that as he meant to designate the species as a small hare, and as the
Northern hare is rather large, he could not have intended it for the latter, but
had in view the Gray Rabbit--hence the name, nanus, dwarf. There can, however,
be no difficulty in accounting for the choice of that name. On turning to the
eleventh page of the Philosophical Transactions, vol. xlii., where the species
was first announced, it will be perceived that BARRINGTON had been closely
investigating the several species of hare with which the naturalists of Europe
were acquainted at that early day; and he gives the following measurements:--
Fore-leg.[*] Hind-leg.[*] Back and Head.
(inches) (inches) (inches)
Rabbit. . . . . . . 4 1/2 6 3/4 16 1/2
Hare . . . . . . . 7 3/4 11 22
Hudson's Bay quadruped . 6 3/4 10 3/4 18
Alpine hare . . . . . 6 1/2 16 3/4 22
[*] From uppermost joint to toe.
Here then we have the relative sizes of the several species. The first is
the common wild rabbit of England, (L. cuniculus,) which is a little larger than
our Gray Rabbit. The second is the common English hare, (L. timidus.) The
third, the American hare from Hudson's Bay; and the fourth, the Alpine or
variable hare, (L. variabilis.) The rabbit being a burrowing animal with white
flesh, was not considered a hare, and the American animal was smaller than
either the European or the Alpine hare, measuring only eighteen inches in
length, whilst these last measured twenty-two inches each. We perceive,
therefore, that it was called Lepus nanus, because it was the smallest of the
species then known. For the same reason our American woodcock was called
scolopax minor, because it was smaller than the English woodcock, although it
finally proved to be the largest snipe in America.
Let us compare the description of SCHREBER'S L. nanus, with the Northern
hare, of which we have a number of specimens (including all its various changes
of colour) before us, to refer to as we proceed.
TRANSLATION (Lepus Nanus.)
The head has nothing peculiar; cheeks, thickly haired; ears, thin,
externally with few hairs, naked within, and when bent forward do not reach the
point of the nose; when bent backward they reach the shoulder blades.
REMARKS (Lepus Americanus.)
This description agrees with L. Americanus; the ears in our dried specimens
are none of them more than 3 1/2 inches long, whilst from nose to ear they
measure 4 inches; the cars therefore could not reach the nose.
TRANSLATION
Eyes, large and black, with four or five bristles above them; whiskers,
mostly black; some are white, the longest appear to be longer than the head.
REMARKS
Applies perfectly to our specimens of L. Americanus, except the colour of
the eyes, which applies to neither the Northern hare nor the Gray Rabbit, and
which he must have obtained from some other source than a dried skin.
TRANSLATION
The following is the colour in summer: ears, brownish, with a very narrow
black border on the outer margin, being at the tips the same breadth, or it even
disappears towards the tips.
REMARKS
The very narrow black border on the outer margin betrays the species; it
belongs to the Northern hare, but not to the Gray Rabbit. They only become
effaced when covered with white hair in winter; and it is evident this last
expression was taken from KALM, who says of the Rabbit, "the tip of their ears
is always gray, and not black, as is the case in the European, common, and
Alpine hares."
TRANSLATION
Forehead, cheeks, back and sides, fore and hind-legs externally,
light-brown, mixed with black; around the breech, white.
REMARKS
All agreeing with the description of the Northern hare.
TRANSLATION
Feet, thickly covered with short hairs of a light brown, unmixed with
black, changing on the inside to a grayish white.
REMARKS
Such is the colour of the feet of several of our specimens of the Northern
hare in summer pelage.
TRANSLATION
Upper part of the tail the colour of the back, (perhaps mixed with black,
as PENNANT describes it black above,) beneath white.
REMARKS
The upper part of the tail is like the back in most specimens, but it is
seen how anxious he was not to depart from the views of PENNANT, who describes
it as black, which is the case in some specimens.
TRANSLATION
Throat, white; lower part of the neck, bright brown, mixed with white;
chest and belly, inside of fore and hind-legs, a dull white.
REMARKS
These distinctive marks all belong to the Northern hare.
TRANSLATION
Colour in winter, when it does change, white.
REMARKS
The Gray Rabbit does not become white in winter.
TRANSLATION
Molars above and beneath, on each side, five. The length of the body at
farthest eighteen inches, the tail not over two inches.
REMARKS
This size applies to the Northern hare, and not to the Gray Rabbit. None
of our dried specimens of the former reach quite eighteen inches, and none of
the Gray Rabbit beyond fifteen. Tail of the Northern hare, including fur, two
inches; that ot the Gray Rabbit is longer.
TRANSLATION
The weight is from 2 1/4 to 3 lbs.; according to PENNANT, from 3 to 4 1/2
lbs.
REMARKS
These weights were compiled from authors. CARVER, who had reference to the
Gray Rabbit, gave the lesser weight; and PENNANT, who referred to the Northern
hare, gave the greater.
TRANSLATION
The most striking distinctions in this species, according to FORSTER,
PENNANT, and SCHOEPFF, are, 1st, its size; it is not near as large as the common
hare or the changeable hare, and scarcely larger than a rabbit; hence in North
America he is frequently called rabbit.
REMARKS
FORSTER says in regard to the Northern hare--"The proper characteristics of
this species seem to be, 1st, its size, which is somewhat bigger than a rabbit,
but less than that of the Alpine or lesser hare."
TRANSLATION
2d, The proportion of the legs. The hind-feet being longer and the
fore-feet shorter than either of the three.
REMARKS
2d, FORSTER says, "The proportion of its limbs. Its hind-feet being longer
in proportion to the body than those of the rabbit and the common hare."
TRANSLATION
3d, The colour of the ears; they have a black margin outside, but no black
spot at the tip.
REMARKS
3d, "The tip of the ears and tail, which are constantly gray, not black,"
KALM'S Travels, vol. ii., p. 45.
TRANSLATION
The ear being less in length separates it from the common hare.
REMARKS
The ears of the Northern hare, the species here referred to, are
considerably less in length than those of the common European hare.
TRANSLATION
4th, The colour of the tail; this is on the upper surface not black, or as
intensely black as that of the hare.
REMARKS
The upper side of the tail of the European hare, (L. timidus,) is black,
that of the Northern hare generally dark brown.
TRANSLATION
5th, The colour of the body.
REMARKS
That of the European hare is not as dark.
TRANSLATION
6th, Its mode of living and habits.
REMARKS
In the description of these habits by FORSTER, two species had been
blended.
TRANSLATION
It can therefore only be a distinct species.
REMARKS
He meant distinct from those of Europe.
TRANSLATION
It is a native of all North America, from Hudson's Bay to Florida. It does
not migrate far, but confines itself to a narrow compass.
REMARKS
The Gray Rabbit is not found at Hudson's Bay, where the other abounds. In
his views of the Southern range of the Northern hare, he was misled by FORSTER,
and supposing KALM'S rabbit referred to the same species, he quoted KALM as
authority for its existence as far south as Florida.
TRANSLATION
In Hudson's Bay, Canada, and New-England, it changes in autumn this short
summer hair into a long silky fur, white from the roots, and only the border of
the ears and the tail preserve their colour, (PENNANT, KALM.)
REMARKS
The Gray Rabbit does not change in this manner. He meant by this to show
that whilst this species became white in winter, the border of the ear and upper
part of the tail underwent no change.
TRANSLATION
In the Southern parts, his colour, even in the coldest winters, remains
unchanged, (KALM.) He might, therefore, be properly called the half changing
hare
REMARKS
SCHREBER, never having been in America, had to compile his account of its
habits from others. It is easily seen that in this he was misled by FORSTER,
who misunderstood KALM; the latter having here referred to the Gray Rabbit,
which never changes its colour.
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DEKAY conceives SCHREBER to have described the Gray Rabbit, from the
abundance of the species; but the Northern hare, where it does exist, is not
less abundant. In particular localities in the Northern States, it is more
frequently met with than the Gray Rabbit in the Middle or Southern States.
HEARNE says that on the south side of Anawed Lake they were so plentiful,
that several of the Indians caught twenty or thirty of a night with snares; and
at Hudson's Bay, where all the specimens first brought to Europe were procured,
it is represented as very abundant.
We think we have now shown that SCHREBER'S account of L. nanus--its size,
length of legs, the black margin around the ear, its change of colour, and his
references to authors, all prove explicitly that he had no reference to the Gray
Rabbit, but described the Northern hare.
His name must therefore stand as a synonyme of L. Americanus, which is to
be somewhat regretted, as although the name itself is very objectionable, his
description of that species appears to us the best that was given, from its
first describer, FORSTER, down to the time of RICHARDSON, whose description is
so accurate that nothing need be added to it.
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