Tiney was not to be tamed at all; and Befs had a courage and confidence that made him tame from the beginning. I always admitted them into the parlour after fupper, when the carpet affording their feet a firm hold, they would frisk, and bound, and play a thousand gambols, in which Befs, being remarkably ftrong and fearless, was always fuperior to the reft, and proved himself the Veftris of the party. One evening the cat being in the room, had the hardiness to pat Befs upon the cheek, an indignity which he resented by drumming upon her back with fuch violence, that the cat was happy to escape from under his paws and hide herself. I defcribe these animals as having each a character of his own. Such they were in fact, and their countenances were fo expreffive of that character, that, when I looked only on the face of either, I immediately knew which it was. It is faid that a fhepherd, however numerous his flock, foon becomes fo familiar with their features, that he can, by that indication only, distinguish each from all the rest; and yet, to a common obferver, the difference is hardly perceptible. I doubt not that the fame difcrimination in the caft of countenances would be difcoverable in hares, and am perfuaded that among a thousand of them no two could be found exactly fimilar; a circumstance little suspected by those, who have not had opportunity to observe it. These creatures have a fingular fagacity in discovering the minutest alteration, that is made in the place to which they are accustomed, and inftantly apply their nose to the examination of a new object. A fmall hole being burnt in the carpet, it was mended with a patch, and that patch in a moment underwent the stricteft fcrutiny. They feem too to be very much directed by the fmell in the choice of their favourites: to fome persons, though they saw them daily, they could never be reconciled, and would even scream when they attempted to touch them; but a miller coming in engaged their affections at once; his powdered coat had charms that were irresistible. It is no wonder that my intimate acquaintance with these specimens of the kind has taught me to hold the sportsman's amusement in abhorrence; he little knows what amiable creatures he perfecutes, of what gratitude they are capable, how cheerful. they are in their spirits, what enjoyment they have of life, and that impreffed as they seem with a peculiar dread of man, it is only because man gives them peculiar cause for it. That I may not be tedious, I will just give a short summary of those articles of diet, that fuit them beft. I take it to be a general opinion that they graze, but it is an erroneous one, at least grass is not their ftaple; they seem rather to use it medicinally, foon quitting it for leaves of almost any kind. Sow-thiftle, dent-de-lion, and lettuce, are their favourite vegetables, especially the laft. I discovered by accident that fine white fand is in great estimation with them; I fuppofe as a digeftive. It happened that I was cleaning a bird-cage while the hares were with me; I placed a pot filled with fuch fand upon the floor, which, being at once directed to by a strong instinct, they devoured voraciously; fince that time I have generally taken care to fee them well fupplied with it. They account green corn a delicacy, both blade and ftalk, but the ear they feldom eat: ftraw of any kind, especially wheat-ftraw, is another of their dainties; they will feed greedily upon oats, but if furnished with clean ftraw never want them; it ferves them alfo for a bed, and, if fhaken up daily, will be kept fweet and dry for a confiderable time. They do not indeed require aromatic herbs, but will eat a small quantity of them with great relish, and are particularly fond of the plant called mufk; they seem to resemble fheep in this, that, if their pafture be too fucculent, they are very fubject to the rot; to prevent which, I always made bread their principal nourishment, and filling a pan with it cut into fmall fquares, placed it every evening in their chambers, for they feed only at evening and in the night: during the winter, when vegetables were not to be got, I mingled this mess of bread with fhreds of carrot, adding to it the rind of apples cut extremely thin; for, though they are fond of the paring, the apple itself difgufts them. These however not being a fufficient fubftitute for the juice of fummer herbs, they muft at this time be supplied with water; but fo placed that they cannot overfet it into their beds. I muft not omit that occafionally they are much pleased with twigs of hawthorn, and of the common briar, eating even the very wood when it is of confiderable thickness. Befs, I have faid, died young; Tiney lived to be nine years old, and died at laft, I have reafon to think, of fome hurt in B b VOL. II. his loins by a fall; Puss is still living, and has just completed his tenth year, difcovering no figns of decay, nor even of age, except that he is grown more difcreet and lefs frolickfome than he was. I cannot conclude without obferving, that I have lately introduced a dog to his acquaintance, a spaniel that had never feen a hare to a hare that had never feen a fpaniel. I did it with great caution, but there was no real need of it. Pufs discovered no token of fear, nor Marquis the leaft symptom of hoftility. There is therefore, it should seem, no natural antipathy between dog and hare, but the pursuit of the one occafions the flight of the other, and the dog purfues because he is trained to it: they eat bread at the same time out of the fame hand, and are in all respects fociable and friendly. I should not do complete juftice to my subject did I not add, that they have no ill fcent belonging to them; that they are indefatigably nice in keeping themselves clean, for which purpose nature has furnished them with a brush under each foot; and that they are never infested by any vermin. MAY 28, 1784. |