Page:The Hare.djvu/69

Rh parts.' It is noteworthy that white and pied hares seem to be caught or killed almost invariably before attaining their mature growth, so that the possibilities of their transmitting their peculiar characters to descendants is frustrated. It would not be safe, however, to conclude that white leverets of necessity retain their unnatural garb after reaching maturity. Changes in the colour of the pelage are naturally effected by a shedding of fur in the brown hare. Some years ago an old shepherd employed upon a Southdown farm found five white leverets a day or so old. He marked their ears with a pair of nippers, as if they had been sheep instead of hares. Some months later, a fine grey hare was shot in the same locality, which on examination proved to be one of the five ear-marked leverets, which had turned grey on reaching maturity. A curious pied leveret was shot in Cumberland in 1884 by Mr. J. Parker, Its body was of the usual colour, but the forehead, muzzle, sides of the head and forefeet were all pure white. Another hare, presented to the Carlisle Museum with the last named, by Mr. Parker, has a curious appearance, being neither white nor brown, but a compromise between them.