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M A M M A L S O F N O R T H E R N C A N A D A 249
N O R T H E R N V A R Y I N G HARE— L e p u s americanus macfarlani
Merriam.
Australians used to complain bitterly of the great havoc
committed by die introduced E n g l i s h hare, or rabbit, and at
one time the Government offered as much as f20,000 sterling
for the discovery of a remedy which would have the effect of
extirpating the nuisance, or at least considerably reducing the
rabbits i n number. We of the north then thought that i f
the latter could be inoculated with the virus of the disease
which periodicallv affects the head and throat and carries
off many thousands of the American hares, when they are
most abundant i n each decade, it would doubtless be highly
appreciated i n Australia, while, on the other hand, the
natives and others resident i n the eastern, western, and
northern territories of Canada would be greatly pleased i f
the referred- to epidemic would recur i n a less fatal form and
thereby prevent the years of scarcity frequently experiencd.
As already stated i n this paper, there are several fur- bearing
animals, notably the l y n x and marten, whose numbers would
seem to be chiefly dependent upon the abundance or scarcity
of this species. The yearly catch of lynxes rapidly diminishes
i n volume as soon as the rabbits become scarce, and
when the latter are comparatively rare a large proportion
of the great, but now dwindling crowd of lynxes, suffer
privation, and some actually starve to death. Indians occasionally
find examples of such victims. Nearly every post
i n the Mackenzie R i v e r District sent one or more specimens
of the American hare to the Smithsonian Institution. It is
said that i t breeds two and three times each season; that the
sexes copulate i n the end of March, May, and August; that
the period of gestation lasts about three weeks, and that the
female seldom becomes a mother before she is a year old.
A litter usually consists of three or f o u r ; but when on the
" p e r i o d i c " increase, females are known to have as many
as six, eight, and even ten at a time, and then gradually
return to three and four. The young are not born blind,
Object Description
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| Title | Page 273 |
| OCR | M A M M A L S O F N O R T H E R N C A N A D A 249 N O R T H E R N V A R Y I N G HARE— L e p u s americanus macfarlani Merriam. Australians used to complain bitterly of the great havoc committed by die introduced E n g l i s h hare, or rabbit, and at one time the Government offered as much as f20,000 sterling for the discovery of a remedy which would have the effect of extirpating the nuisance, or at least considerably reducing the rabbits i n number. We of the north then thought that i f the latter could be inoculated with the virus of the disease which periodicallv affects the head and throat and carries off many thousands of the American hares, when they are most abundant i n each decade, it would doubtless be highly appreciated i n Australia, while, on the other hand, the natives and others resident i n the eastern, western, and northern territories of Canada would be greatly pleased i f the referred- to epidemic would recur i n a less fatal form and thereby prevent the years of scarcity frequently experiencd. As already stated i n this paper, there are several fur- bearing animals, notably the l y n x and marten, whose numbers would seem to be chiefly dependent upon the abundance or scarcity of this species. The yearly catch of lynxes rapidly diminishes i n volume as soon as the rabbits become scarce, and when the latter are comparatively rare a large proportion of the great, but now dwindling crowd of lynxes, suffer privation, and some actually starve to death. Indians occasionally find examples of such victims. Nearly every post i n the Mackenzie R i v e r District sent one or more specimens of the American hare to the Smithsonian Institution. It is said that i t breeds two and three times each season; that the sexes copulate i n the end of March, May, and August; that the period of gestation lasts about three weeks, and that the female seldom becomes a mother before she is a year old. A litter usually consists of three or f o u r ; but when on the " p e r i o d i c " increase, females are known to have as many as six, eight, and even ten at a time, and then gradually return to three and four. The young are not born blind, |
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