The Hare Fur and Feather Series
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UC-NRLF FUR AND FEATHER SERIES edited by ALFRED E. T. WATSON THE HARE FUR AND FEATHER SERIES. EDITED BY ALFRED E. T. WATSON. THE PARTRIDGE. NATURAL HISTORY- By the Rev. H. A. MACPHERSON. SfiOOT/NGByA. J. STUART- WORTLEY.- COOKERY- By GEORGE SAINTSBURY. With ii Illustrations by A. THORBURN, A. J. STUART-WORTLEY, and and C. WHYMPER, various Diagrams. Crown 8vo. s-s. THE GROUSE. NATURAL HISTORY-^ the Rev. H. A. MACPHERSON. SHOO TING By A. J. STUART- WORTLEY. COOKERY By GEORGE SAINTSBURY. With 13 Illustrations by A. J. STUART-WORTLEY and A. THORBURN, and various Diagrams. Crown 8vo. 5$. THE PHEASANT. NATURAL HISTORY-^ the Rev. H. A. MACPHERSON. SHOOT/NGByA. J. STUART- WORTLEY. COOKERY By ALEXANDER INNES SHAND. With 10 Illustrations by A. THORBURN and A. J. STUART- WORTLEY, and various Diagrams. Crown 8vo. 55. THE HARE. NATURAL HISTORY-By the Rev. H. A. MACPHERSON. SHOO TING By the Hon. GERALD LASCELLES. COURSING By CHARLES RICHARDSON. - HUNTING By J. S. GIBBONS and G. H. LONGMAN. COOKER Y By Col. KENNEY HERBERT. With 8 Illus- trations by G. D. GILES, A. THORBURN, and C WHYMPER. Crown 8vo. 5$. WILDFOWL. By the Hon. JOHN SCOTT-MONTAGU, M.P. &c. {In preparation. THE RED DEER. By CAMERON OF LOCHIEL, Lord EBRINGTON, &c. [In preparation. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. London, New York, and Bombay. 'A HARE DRIVE THE HARE NATURAL HISTORY BY THE REV. H. A. JVt ACPHERSQN S&QOTING BY THE HON. GERALD LASCELLES COURSING BY CHARLES RICHARDSON HUNTING BY J. S. GIBBONS AND G. H. LONGMAN COOKERY BY COL. KENNEY HERBERT ILLUSTRATIONS BY G. D. GILES, A, THORBURN, AND C. WHYMPER \ LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY 1896 All riglits reserved PREFACE THE design of the Fur and Feather Series is to present monographs, as complete as they can possibly be made, on the various English birds and beasts which are generally included under the head of Game. Books on Natural History cover such a vast number of subjects that their writers necessarily find it impossible to deal with each in a really and it is not within comprehensive manner ; the scope of such works exhaustively to discuss the animals described, in the light of objects of sport. Books on sport, again, seldom treat at length of the Natural History of the furred and feathered creatures which are shot or otherwise taken so far as the Editor is in no ; and, aware, book hitherto published on Natural History or Sport has information been given as to the best methods of turning the contents of the bag to account. M365082 PREFACE Each volume of the present Series will, therefore, be devoted to a bird or beast, and will be divided into three parts. The Natural of the will first be it History variety given ; will then be considered from the point of view of and the writer of the third division sport ; will assume that the creature has been carried to the larder, and will proceed to discuss it gas- tronomically. The origin of the animals will be traced, their birth and breeding described, every known method of circumventing and killing them not omitting the methods em- ployed by the poacher will be explained with special regard to modern developments, and they will only be left when on the table in the most appetising forms which the delicate science of cookery has discovered. It is intended to make the illustrations a prominent feature in the Series. The pictures in the present volume are after drawings by Mr. G. D. Giles, Mr. Archibald Thorburn, and Mr. C. Whymper. ALFRED E. T. WATSON. CONTENTS NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HARE BY THE REV. H. A. MACPHERSON CHAP. PAGE I. STUDIES IN HARE LIFE 3 II. PAGES OF HARE LORE 26 III. THE HARE AND THE LAWYERS . .49 IV. THE HARE AND HER TROD 62 SHOOTING THE HARE BY THE HON. GERALD LASCELLES I. SHOOTING 85 II. THE BLUE HARE POACHING HAWKING . 95 COURSING THE HARE BY CHARLES RICHARDSON I. PRIVATE COURSING in II. PUBLIC COURSING . .... 136 CONTENTS HUNTING THE HARE PAGE BEAGLING. BY G. H. LONGMAN 179 HARRIERS. BY J. S. GIBBONS CHAP. I. HARE HUNTING ANCIENT AND MODERN 191 ,, II. THE HARRIER 197 ,, III. THE PURSUIT OF THE HARE . 208 COOKERY 'OF 'THE HARE 2 3 I BY COL. KENNEY HERBERT ILLUSTRATIONS BY G. D. GILES, ARCHIBALD THORBURN, AND C. WHYMPER {Reproduced by the Swan Electric Engraving Company] VIGNETTE Title-page * ' A HARE DRIVE Frontispiece 'As MAD AS MARCH HARES' . To face p. 14 ' ' MAKING FOR THE HEDGEROW . ,, 92 'SNARED* ,, IOO ' 'RETURNING TO THE ORIGINAL FIELD . 122 'A CRITICAL MOMENT. THE HUNTSMAN 5 STANDS STILL AS DEATH . ,, l8o 'DOES NOT KNOW WHAT NERVE MEANS' . ,, 2IO ' THE FARMER'S BOY ON HIS ROUGH PONY GETS A PERIOD OF ECSTATIC DELIGHT' . 226 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HARE BY THE REV. H. A. MACPHERSON CHAPTER I STUDIES IN HARE LIFE THE common brown hare has long been associated with the happiest traditions of English sport. Its presence on the countryside has served to draw all classes together, and contributed in no small degree to the maintenance of mutual sympathies. Nor is this true of British sportsmen alone. No doubt Englishmen are the sportsmen of the world, but our Continental neighbours entertain a friendly rivalry with the Saxon, and the number of hares which are annually killed at big drives in Austria represent enormous figures, beside which statistics of our English sport are dwarfed into sorry insignificance. The question naturally arises, To what countries is the brown hare really indigenous ? It is not a native of Ireland. The fact is a little surprising at first sight, but appears less astonishing when we remember how deficient that island is in mammalian life. Elsewhere B 3 4 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HARE in Europe the brown hare seems to be at home in all the more temperate countries. It shows a decided aversion to damp climates, thriving best in a mode- rately dry atmosphere. The high mountains and bleak plateaus of Central and Northern Europe are naturally ill adapted to the constitution of the brown hare. Accordingly this animal is replaced in elevated or inclement regions by the blue or variable hare, which contrives to pick up a living in the most deso- late and forbidding districts. It is this animal which takes the place of the brown hare in Ireland. Some naturalists have separated the Irish variety of the variable hare from the typical form, but it is question- able whether such a step can be considered prudent. As for the brown hare, it must be said that consider- able differences exist between examples obtained in Northern and Southern Europe. I have not been able to investigate this point personally. Mr. Oldfield Thomas tells me that no adequate material for study as yet exists at the Natural History Museum. In the absence of a fresh series, we are thrown back upon the conclusions of Blasius, who investigated the subject some years ago. The skins which he examined had been obtained from different parts of Europe. Their study induced him to believe that we should recog- nise three distinct races of the brown hare. Of these, STUDIES IN HARE LTFE the form with which Englishmen are least acquainted is the hare of North-east Europe. This animal pos- sesses fur of a thick texture, and shows a tendency to become white in winter, a circumstance which might be expected to enhance the chance of its escaping from its enemies during severe weather, such as is often experienced in Russia. The central race, which includes our English hare, is characterised by the possession of fur of moderate texture. It shows a disposition to become grey in winter. To find the third race of brown hare recognised by the German specialist just quoted it is necessary to go to the extreme south of Europe. This hare of the Mediter- ranean sub-region differs from the animal we know so well at home in the relative thinness of its pelage. Its ears are but scantily clothed with fur. It is a redder animal than our hare. Mr. Abel Chapman says that it is more brindled in colour than our insular form. Another point of distinction lies in the inferior size of the Mediterranean hare. Sportsmen are always interested in the weight of game. The average weight of a hare often serves as a topic for conversation in the gunroom. A full- grown animal in good condition generally turns the scales at seven or eight pounds. Plenty of hares weigh nine and ten pounds, but it is a very big hare NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HARE indeed that reaches eleven pounds. Enormous hares have been killed in rare instances. By this I mean to say that individual hares have undoubtedly scaled between thirteen and fourteen pounds. But these were over-fed monsters, which had glutted their carcases to repletion. Now the Mediterranean hare only averages from five to six pounds when full grown. It is, therefore, obviously inferior in bulk to the typical animal. I have not been able to obtain the weights of any Russian hares. Those which are killed in Central Europe appear to be about the same size as our own hares. Professor Fatio, for instance, writes that in Switzerland the brown hares average from eight to ten pounds apiece. He has known of larger specimens. Some of them weighed as much as twelve pounds, but these, of course, were remarkable. The weight of the hare, like that of almost any animal, depends a good deal on the season of the year, and on the relative abun- dance or paucity of food.