THE HARE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9654, 10 July 1919, Page 2

THE HARE.

A correspondent writes: —The common hare is well known to all who live in the British islands. It is found in. every part of Europe except Norway and Sweden. The hare feeds wholly on vegetable substances, and does terrible injury to young plantations, fields of early wheat, and other cereal crops. The' habits of the hare are, for the most part, nocturnal. During the day hares rest in open fields and stubbles, and especially in grassy hollows. For i partial concealment they excavate holes, in which they lie. These hollows are technically called "forms." Here they rest, in a crouching attitude, with the chin and throat resting on the front paw. Hares are good swimmers when occasion requires. Mr Yarrel records in the "London Magazine " that he saw a hare swim from the seashore to an island a .mile distant. He saw two hares come down to the shore, and he watched them for. half an hour. One of the hares from time to time went down to the very edge of the-water and then returned to its mate, and eventually one hare took to the soa at the precise time of the, tide called "slack-water," when the passage across could be effected. without being carried by the force of the stream either above or below the desired place of landing. The other hare then cantered back to the woods.

As game, the hare is shot in great numbers, and there is. no cruelty in that; but we cannot say the same about hunting poor puss with a pack* of harriers, or "coursing" with greyhounds. These forms of so-called "sport" doubtless give an excuse for healthy exercise to men, and give excitement fco the sa-llant dogs; but it seems a very unfair and unequal match thus to run a defenceless little hare to the death.

The poet Cowper kept several pet h.ares in his house, and he gives rmnute details of their ways and habits. He wrote an epitaph on one of his favourites..