ON every creature that God has made we may readily see marks of divine wisdom peculiar to each. Very clearly are they seen in the construction of the Hare. Scarcely any animal has so many enemies, is so defenceless, and none possess more of that preserving passion, timidity or fear. This keeps it alive to every cause of alarm. If carefully examined, each limb and every instinct will be found to be so formed as to give every possibility, not for defending itself, but for making its escape from its enemies. It is of first importance that its hearing should be very acute, and that it should be able to detect sounds of danger from a great distance. So we find its ears are formed on this very principle; they are long, open at the ends, and can be turned in every direction, so that they act like a speaking trumpet to a deaf person. Then its eyes should not only be quick of sight, but able to perceive danger from every side at the same moment. We find they are not only large and prominent, but so fixed as to be able to receive the rays of light from all sides. Swiftness of flight is, perhaps, more essential to the Hare than any other qualities; to secure this its hind legs are remarkably long, and furnished with strong muscles. This formation gives an especial advantage over its enemies in ascending steep places: and so sensible is the Hare of this, that it always makes towards rising ground when pursued.
All these advantages are the more needful as it never burrows underground, like the rabbit, or finds a place of safety in hollow trees, like the fox. And as it is always on the ground, its feet are preserved above and below with a thick and warm covering of hair. Then the Hare is gifted with a large amount of cunning or sagacity. We have spoken of the cunning of the fox when pursued, but the Hare is said to display ten times as much when running before the hounds. She will be seen to go straight away when in view, but the moment she is out of sight of her pursuers, she begins the most remarkably sagacious manoeuvres. She will return in her track some distance, then make three or four enormous leaps, and start off again at a right angle with her former course; she will then, if in a wall country, jump to the top of a wall and run some yards along the top, then descending with a long jump, she will perhaps squat till she sees the result of her manoeuvres. Of course all this is well calculated to throw the dogs off the proper course, as by this means they completely lose the scent of her track.
Should this prove useless, she will try other means, such as running through a flock of sheep, or water, or through a covert and back again, coming out at the same opening and running up the ditch, and off again on a fresh circle. She will pass alongside of a furze or thorn bush, some few feet distance from it, then returning she will carefully follow her former course and from it will throw herself into the bush, calmly waiting till the dogs have rushed by her. Then the Hare shows great skill in wisely husbanding her strength. From experience she soon finds out that the most rapid flight at the commencement is not always the most likely means to secure safety, so she regulates her speed according to the dogs that pursue her. If a common hound, she takes it easily, but if the greyhound, she flees from the very start with all her power. She knows that in passing through shrubs, by contact with them, she leaves a stronger scent on her track, and so when followed by terriers, who hunt by scent, she avoids all thicket, running as much as possible on the beaten roads. But if followed by greyhounds, who are guided entirely by sight and have no scent, she takes a straight course to the woods, where she hopes the better to elude her pursuers.
Thus do we see what a wonderful provision has been made for the protection of the poor timid Hare. And let me assure you, dear young friends, that the more you examine every creature that God has made, the more will this wisdom and care be made manifest.
The Hare prepares no home or hiding place. It conceals itself amongst ferns and other plants, or the underbrush of a young plantation, and sometimes with no other concealment than the uneven ground will afford. Here it crouches during the day, from which it makes a regular track to its adjoining feeding grounds. It is very particular always to go and return exactly on the same track. Its feeding time is the evening or during the night; when it issues forth and it will spend the whole night searching for its food and satisfying hunger. The poacher is a great foe to poor Puss, and in the neighbourhood of preserves their tracks are so numerous and so plainly seen that he has no difficulty in fixing his nets so as to secure his prey.
In favorable circumstances, like the rabbit, the Hare increases very rapidly. They begin to breed when a year old, and will have three successive broods of from three to five each time. The young leverets, as they are called, are born covered with fur, are able to see and can soon find for themselves. But to secure this the soil must be sandy and dry, as well as food plentiful. A damp clay soil is unfavourable, and being tender creatures, they are soon cut off in large quantities by disease. In all large parks, where the fern is allowed to grow thick, it is a beautiful sight, as evening closes in, to watch the quick, nervous, timid actions of the old ones and the gambols of the young leverets.
The oldest of writers mention the Hare-hunt as one of the sports of the ancients. Amongst the Romans its flesh was considered quite a delicacy. It came, however, within the forbidden animals as food by the law of Moses, "because he cheweth not the cud, but divideth not the hoof" (Lev. 11: 6), But in all ages and nations the poor Hare has been an object of sport for the hunter.
The Hare, however, proves most destructive to the farmers' carefully prepared and well tended crops. He eats great quantities of vegetation, but does not confine himself to these. They will sometimes destroy whole fields of young wheat. In winter they scatter and wander a great distance in search of food, and prove very destructive to plantations of young trees by gnawing the bark.
All my boy readers know how common it is to tame the rabbit. He is a common pet. Hares also notwithstanding their great timidity have often been tamed, so as to eat from the hand and run about the house. The writer of the Natural History of Cornwall tells of one of his own training which would play about the garden, but always return to the house. It had a greyhound and a spaniel as companions, which would romp in company and at night lay together on the hearth. This was the more remarkable as both dogs were used in the same hunt, and would often sally forth on their own account in pursuit of hares, but were never known to harm their play fellow and companions. Sonnie had a tame Hare which lived with a hound and two Angora cats. Dr. Townson brought a young one into such a state of familiarity, that he would run and jump about his sofa and bed; it leaped on his knees, patted him with its feet, and frequently whilst he was reading would knock the book out of his hand, as if like a fondled child, to claim the preference of his attention. Indeed I could tell you many such instances, all showing how easy it is to make always any animal attached to you by a little kindness. If you have not read the interesting account that Cowper gives of his Tiney, Puss and Bess, of the much pleasure he found in his solitary hours in watching them gambol, by all means make yourself acquainted with them; and especially with his amusing account of the hunt after one, when men, women, children, and boys, chased poor puss through the village, and of the remarkable manner in which she was rescued from so many dangers.
But Cowper's Hares have become of worldwide fame, and no wonder, for they were the most interesting and amusing Hares you ever read of. The first was given to him by some children when he had just recovered from an illness, and he wanted something to amuse him. It was given him by some children when it was about three months old. They had so neglected the poor little creature, that it was fast losing all its flesh. Mr. Cowper took it out of pity for the poor pining little creature.
When the neighbours saw how pleased Cowper was with the present, he soon had many more offered him, from which he accepted three. These he named Puss, Tiney, and Bess. He had comfortable little houses built for each one to sleep in, and each had a separate apartment, which he took care was kept sweet and clean. In the day time they had a hall in which they all ran, at night each went to his own bed, and never crept into that of the others.
From Cowper's most interesting letters (which, by the bye, if you have not read, I earnestly commend to you as perhaps the most pleasing in our language), we gather most interesting details of their ways.
They were very different in their character and temper. Puss was soon tamed. He would leap into his master's lap, and bite the hair from his temples, and allow himself to be taken up, and to be carried about; and more than once fell asleep on the poet's knee. He was ill three days, during which time Cowper nursed him, kept him away from the others that they might not tease him, and gave him medicine, which soon brought him round. He was very grateful for this kindness, which he showed by licking his master's hand every bit over, first the back of it, then the palm, then each finger separately, and then between all the fingers, as if he did not want to leave any part unlicked. He was perfectly tamed, and he seemed to be happier when with his master than with the other Hares.
Tiney was quite different. Kindness did not seem to have the least effect upon him. He, too, was sick and taken care of; but, if after he was better his master stroked him, or patted him, he would grunt and strike with his fore-feet, and spring forward and bite. He was of a very surly disposition.
Bess, who like the rest was a male, notwithstanding his name, was a Hare of great drollery and humour. He died soon after he was fully grown, and his death was occasioned by his being turned into his box before it had been thoroughly dried after a washing. He was tame from the beginning. The three were always admitted into the parlour after supper, and there they would frisk and bound and play a thousand gambols; and Bess was always the leader, he was so strong and fearless. One evening the cat was in the room, and patted Bess on the cheek, and in return he drummed upon her back with such violence that she was very glad to get away and hide herself. If there was any change in their room, or the place where they were accustomed to be, the Hares found it out immediately and used to go smelling at the spot, Some persons they liked at once, others, whom they saw every day, they would have nothing to do with: Bess died young; Tiney lived to be nine years old, and died at last from being hurt by a fall; Puss lived to be nearly twelve years old, and died of old age.
"Last Wednesday night, while we were at supper, between the hours of eight and nine, I heard an unusual noise in the back parlour, as if one of the Hares was entangled, and endeavouring to disentangle herself. I was just going to rise from the table, when it ceased. In about five minutes, a voice on the outside of the parlour door enquired if one of my Hares had got away. I immediately rushed in to the next room, and found that my poor favorite Puss had made her escape. She had gnawed in sunder the strings of a lattice work with which I thought I had sufficiently secured the window, and which I preferred to any kind of blind, because it admitted plenty of air.
"From thence I hastened to the kitchen, when I saw the redoubtable Thomas Freeman, who told me that having seen her, just after she had dropped into the street, he attempted to cover her with his hat, but see screamed out, and leaped directly over his head. I then desired him to pursue as fast as possible, and added Richard Coleman to the chase, as being nimbler and carrying less weight than Thomas, not expecting to see her again, but desirous to learn, if possible, what became of her.
In something less than an hour, Richard returned almost breathless, with the following account. That soon after he began to run, he left Tom behind him, and came in sight of a numerous hunt, of men, women, children and dogs; that he did his best to keep back the dogs, and presently outstripped the crowd, so that at last the race was disputed between himself and Puss. She ran right through the town, and down the lane that leads to Drophort. A little distance from the house, he got the start and turned her; she rushed for the town again, and soon after she entered it, seeking shelter in Mr. Wagstaff's tan yard. Sturges's harvest men were at supper, and saw her from the opposite side of the way. Then she encounted the tan pits full of water; while she was struggling out of one pit, and plunging into another, and almost drowned, one of the men drew her out by the ears, and secured her. She was then well washed in a bucket to get the lime out of her coat, and brought home in a sack at ten o'clock.
This frolic cost us four shillings, but you may be sure we did not grudge a farthing of it. The poor creature received a little hurt in one of her claws and in one of her ears; and is now almost as well as ever."