Part 72 (1/2)
The Indian hare is by no means so good for the table as the European one, being dry and tasteless, and hardly worth cooking.
NO. 408. LEPUS NIGRICOLLIS.
_The Black-naped Hare_ (_Jerdon's No. 208_).
NATIVE NAMES.--_Khargosh_, Hindi; _Malla_, Canarese; _Sa.s.sa_, Mahrathi; _Musal_, Tamil; _Kundali_, Telegu; _Haba_, Singhalese.
HABITAT.--Southern India and Ceylon; stated to be found also in Sind and the Punjab.
DESCRIPTION.--”Upper part rufescent yellow, mottled with black; single hairs annulated yellow and black; chin, abdomen, and inside of hind-limbs downy white; a black velvety spot on the occiput and upper part of neck extending to near the shoulders; the spot under the neck is in some specimens of a bright yellow colour; ears long, greyish-brown, internally with white fringes, at the apical part dusky, posteriorly black at the base; feet yellowish; tail above grizzled with black and yellow, beneath white.”--_Kellaart_.
SIZE.--Head and body, 19 inches; tail, 2-1/2 inches; ears, 4-3/4 inches.
A friend of Brigadier-General McMaster's, writing to him, says: ”The black-naped hare of the Neilgherries, which appears to be the same as that of the plains, only larger from the effect of climate, often, when chased by dogs, runs into holes and hollow trees. I have found some of the Neilgherry hares to be nearly, if not quite, equal to the English hares in flavour. I think a great deal depends upon keeping and cooking.”
NO. 409. LEPUS PEGUENSIS.
_The Pegu Hare_.
NATIVE NAME.--_Yung_, Arakanese.
HABITAT.--Pegu, Burmah.
DESCRIPTION.--Very like _L. ruficaudatus_, but with the tail _black_ above; the colour of the upper parts is separated more distinctly from the pure white of the under parts.
SIZE.--Head and body, about 20 inches.
NO. 410. LEPUS HYPSIBIUS.
_The Mountain Hare_.
HABITAT.--Northern Ladakh.
DESCRIPTION.--Colour rufous brown, more or less mixed with black on the back, dusky ashy on the rump; lower parts white with a slight rufescent tinge, fur long, woolly, rather curly, and thick; head brown, whitish round the eyes; whiskers partly black, partly white; outside surface of ears brown in front, whitish behind, the brown hairs having short black tips; the extreme tip of ears black; tail white; throughout limbs chiefly white, a brownish band running down the anterior portion of the fore-legs.
SIZE.--Of skin about 24 inches. (_See_ Blanford's 'Second Yarkand Mission,' p. 60; also plate iii.)
NO. 411. LEPUS PALLIPES.
_The Pale-footed Hare_.
NATIVE NAMES.--_Togh_, _Toshkhen_, _Yarkandi_, i.e. Mountain Hare.
HABITAT.--Yarkand; Thibet.
DESCRIPTION.--”Fur long, dense and soft, of a pale ochre colour, but on the back of the animal pencilled with black; haunches greyish; under-parts white, chest of a delicate yellow rufous tint; the front of the fore-legs and the fore-feet nearly of the same hue; tarsus almost white, but somewhat suffused with rufous in front; tail white, excepting along the middle portion of the upper surface, where it is grey.”--Waterhouse's 'Mammalia,' vol. ii. p. 62.
SIZE.--Head and body, about 18 inches; tail, with hair about 5 inches.
This hare was first described by Hodgson ('J. A. S. B.,' vol. xi.), who also gave a plate; but there is a full description with an excellent plate in Blanford's 'Scientific Results of the Second Yarkand Mission.'
NO. 412. LEPUS TIBETa.n.u.s.