Grab A Hare By The Head. by Lin Stone

Transcription

1 Grab A Hare By The Head by Lin Stone

2 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright 2014 CountryEssays Dot Com

3 Table of Contents 1. Side Beside 2. The Precocious Leapster 3. Trouble Ahead 4. Rabbit PROBLEMS 5. THE HARVEST 6. Hare's The Rest

4 1. Side Beside Grab A Hare By The Head

5 Lin Stone Side Beside By.. It wasn't so long ago, or so far away that people gave names to all the animals they knew according to what they looked like. Hares and rabbits looked alike to most people so rabbits and hares found themselves lumped together with strange names and distant relatives thrown in to keep them apart. When Uncle Remus invented "Brer Rabbit" he was a rabbit; do you see him there in the forefront, in his Sunday best and digging for gold? Those short ears and curled legs in back spell him RABBIT indeed. But, when Brer Rabbit syrup came on the market the illustrator didn't know the difference so he turned Brer Rabbit into a long-legged hare, furnished with long ears and long, powerful legs in back that could thrust him along at 40 miles per hour in open country. Over the years hares have been called rabbits and rabbits have been called hares. But there are major differences.

6 For instance, Hares are born with their eyes wide open. But, Rabbits are born with their eyes squeezed shut. They are blind for days, even weeks sometimes. Over half the rabbits in the world are bedded down in North America. Hares are born with their fur already on. They are born ready to dine on solid food immediately. But, baby rabbits are born with only a thin coat of short hair; they have to snuggle up to Mama for warmth. They can't even eat boiled spinach until they can see where it comes from. It's Mama's milk that will pull them through. The hare is posing here on the left and the rabbit is there on the right. Did you notice how different their ears are? Hares seldom build nests; they prefer to sleep on the ground, not in it. Most rabbits prefer to sleep in the ground, not on it. They dig holes and build their nests beneath the surface. These two photos are released here by compliments of Texas Parks and Wildlife.

7 This 1502 CE. painting by Albrecht Dürer ( ) captures the image of the hare perfectly. Is this all the differences I can show you? Oh, ho, ho. No, No, No. You haven't even grabbed a hare by the head yet! Rabbits must be nursed and cared for by their mother for up to two weeks. Even then they may hang around for months thumping for sustenance. Some of those precocious baby hares may not nurse at all though. Baby hares are born fully developed, ready to move away from home before they are one hour old, just in case Mother Hare is suddenly yanked up into the sky by a Goolden Eagle. Yes, hares are Precocial, which means they can begin hopping within minutes of being born. Rabbits are Altricial, which means they are like human babies and must grow strong first and then learn how to hop.

8 Grab a hare by the head and he will usually begin kicking and scratching to get away. Grab a rabbit by the head and he will usually close up as if to hide. Only then does bunny Rabbit explode into action and quite often even then their violence is moderate and they are ready to subside when just a few loving strokes are applied. There are 32 species of hares, with kinetic skulls that might have migrated here from the moon. According to scientific Japanese traditions there is at least one hare still left there; you can see him clearly on nights of a full moon. You might find a list of names for hares of use. Abyssinian hare, Lepus habessinicus African savanna hare, Lepus microtis Alaskan hare, Lepus othus Antelope jackrabbit, Lepus alleni Arctic hare, Lepus arcticus Black-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus californicus Black jackrabbit, Lepus insularis Broom hare, Lepus castroviejoi Burmese hare, Lepus peguensis Cape hare Lepus capensis Cape hare, Lepus capensis Chinese hare, Lepus sinensis Corsican hare, Lepus corsicanus Desert hare, Lepus tibetanus Ethiopian hare, Lepus fagani Ethiopian highland hare, Lepus starcki European hare and mountain hare European hare, Lepus europaeus Genus Lepus Granada hare, Lepus granatensis Hainan hare, Lepus hainanus Incertae sedis Indian hare, Lepus nigricollis Jackrabbit Japanese hare, Lepus brachyurus Korean hare, Lepus coreanus Manchurian hare, Lepus mandschuricus Mountain hare, Lepus timidus Scrub hare, Lepus saxatilis Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus Subgenus Eulagos Subgenus Indolagus Subgenus Lepus Subgenus Macrotolagus

9 Subgenus Poecilolagus Subgenus Proeulagus Subgenus Sabanalagus Subgenus Sinolagus Subgenus Tarimolagus Tehuantepec jackrabbit, Lepus flavigularis Tolai hare, Lepus tolai White-sided jackrabbit, Lepus callotis White-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii Woolly hare, Lepus oiostolus Yarkand hare, Lepus yarkandensis Yunnan hare, Lepus comus EASTER BUNNIES FOR SALE.. Easter bunnies tend to be abandoned when their colored eggs are all gone. Sales prices blossom on every street corner. Ginger was a very solemn, responsible child so after she had promised to read the Bible twice then crossed her heart and hoped to die three times, we found ourselves the sole proprietors of a single bundle of joy, Timmy Tammy Tumper, as he came to be known did indeed remain a bundle of joy. His precious antics were appreciated; Tumper preferred electrical wires on his Wheaties. He impersonated a dog on weekends, but he was gentle as a lamb when asked to play dolls. Then a nasty old German Shepherd leaped the fence and pretended he was a coyote. Fur went everywhere. We told Ginger that Timmy Tammy would be replaced by the time she returned from school. Timmy Tammy Tumper #2 was perfectly identical to #1 -- on the outside anyway. It was that heart of gold we missed, After three days I accidentally whistled for the German Shepherd; Ginger didnt even ask where #2 was hiding. She did ask for another pet though; she wanted a full grown German Shepherd, just in case, she said. Just in case.

10 2. The Precocious Leapster Has your mother ever told her friends that you were a precocious child? " Oh My! What have you done now? Why, you are ALWAYS jumping into some kind of trouble, aren't you?" Precocious -whatever could that word mean? Precocious is good enough to brag about, all right. It means your brain grasps the subject matter faster and you understand it sooner. It means you understand most everything sooner, and you get off the starting gate quicker, too. This image is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired. Rural Life' Pictures from The Powerhouse Museum Rabbits, on the other hand, must be nursed and cared for by their mother for up to two weeks. "Mama, MAMA, where ARE you?" Young hares are so precocious they may not need nursing at all. Why, some young hares are so precocious they are ready to go hopping around before they are even one hour old. Imagine THAT, if you can. There are coyotes out there, hawks, eagles too -- not to mention dogs, badgers, foxes, mountain lioms, house cats, -- and alligators on one side

11 and tigers and crocodiles on the other. Everything in the world is just waiting for more precocious children to leap into view. Mother Hares may not nurse their young at all. With just a hop, skip and a jump they are gone. "Harry, HARRY! Where on earth ARE you, Harry?" One thing's for sure! Harry has not disappeared down a rabbit hole. If Harry ever does get tired from having too much fun, Harry will scratch a shallow spot in the shade and lie there with nothing but his long ears shifting occasionally. Would you rather be precocious or safe? Baby rabbits don't go rushing into new troubles. They like the idea of staying at home with Mother Rabbit a little while longer. Baby rabbits want to be nursed and cared for by their mother, sometimes for months. Even then they may hang around, thumping for sustenance from the communal grazing area. The hare's diet is similar to the rabbit's but they enjoy twigs and bark. Well, isn't that natural? After all, that's why evolutionists finally removed hares, rabbits and pikas from the rodentia order, and placed all of them into the order Lagomorpha. Hares have jointed, or kinetic, skulls, unique among mammals although almost common in certain dinosaur periods. Hares also have 48 chromosomes (44 for the rabbit). More than half the world's rabbit population resides in North America Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are eight different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including: The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Cottontail rabbits (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species) Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, an endangered species on Amami Oshima, Japan). Amami Rabbit/Ryukyu Rabbit, Pentalagus furnessi Annamite Striped Rabbit, Nesolagus timminsi Brush Rabbit, Sylvilagus bachmani Bushman Rabbit, Bunolagus monticularis Central African Rabbit, Poelagus marjorita Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii Dice's Cottontail, Sylvilagus dicei Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus Forest Rabbit, Sylvilagus brasiliensis Genus Brachylagus Genus Bunolagus Genus Nesolagus Genus Oryctolagus Genus Pentalagus

12 Genus Poelagus Genus Romerolagus Genus Sylvilagus Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris Mexican Cottontail, Sylvilagus cunicularis Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii New England Cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis Omilteme Cottontail, Sylvilagus insonus Pygmy Rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis San Jose Brush Rabbit, Sylvilagus mansuetus Sumatran Striped Rabbit, Nesolagus netscheri Swamp Rabbit, Sylvilagus aquaticus Tres Marias Rabbit, Sylvilagus graysoni Volcano Rabbit, Romerolagus diazi OH MY! This particular image is of Australian origin and is now in the public domain because its term of copyright has expired. Rabbit pelt is prized for its softness. Farmers in many areas of the world liked to have rabbits harvested because their appetites were virtually insatiable. In the picture above, we see four horses pulling the wagon so we know these pelts are stacked heavy. The driver is Bert Mannt,Walcha,NSW Australia.

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14 3. Trouble Ahead Ear's Looking At You Hares like to live in the open where they can run from danger. Rabbits like to live near tangled areas where they can dig down and hide from danger. If hares hear a strange sound they will stand up straighter so they can hear better and get off to a flying start. The long, long ears of a hare can turn in different directions. If a rabbit hears a strange sound he will lay his ears back, over his back so they won't get hurt by brush when he runs away Hares can molt to white in winter. But, If you see a white rabbit named Harvey, he was born that way, in March. Hares have ears that are longer than rabbits' ears. Hares may rest beneath a bush while rabbits have been known to climb small trees to hide. Because of their big front teeth, many people believe that hares and rabbits are both rodents. That isn't true either.

15 4. Rabbit PROBLEMS Rabbit PROBLEMS Rabbits are great escape artists. Within hours of their release they revert to using their wild instincts. They are a known source of environmental disasters when given free access to open range. They arrive naturally equipped to eat virtually any vegetation known to man. As a result of their insatiable appetites, and the rate at which they breed, rabbits can indulge in strip mining the landscape. When they finish grazing there is nothing left out there but happy, healthy fertilizer. Rabbits can get out of hand quickly. Female Lagomorphs may produce as many as a dozen babies per litter. Some of them even breed throughout the year. Hares don't have young until the year following their birth. Rabbits, however, can start producing their first family within 3 months. An adult cottontail can raise as many as six litters a year, averaging 5 to 7 per litter. If all her babies lived and reproduced at a similar rate she would, at the end of five short years, have established an empire of almost 2,500,004,262 bunnies! Naturally they would become a problem for gardeners and commercial farmers of other vegetation if they didn't have a few natural enemies. To eliminate the rabbit problem the farmers might resort to gassing, barriers, shooting, snaring, and ferreting all those sons and daughters of Peter Cottontail. But the most effective measures still involve some forms of poison. Introducing diseases such as myxomatosis (myxo or mixi, colloquially) and calicivirus can also restrain the natural increase of rabbit populations. But, why are farmers trying to kill off all those pretty rabbits? They MUST be good for something! Why Farmers Fail Right now the only way our Modern Farmers are able to survive is by accepting subsidies and other forms of charity very much like bailouts except that they are pre-negotiated, invisible, annually renewable and must be spent for specific purposes -- like leveling the land, planting the right crop, drilling for water. We The People never hear about these subsidies coming up for a vote. When someone does read deep enough and finds the lollipops being dished up we are told that, in order to compete with 3rd. world countries employing native manpower farmers must have some of those freshly-painted tractors and combines selling for $10, $150,000 each. To make a living profit they must borrow money from the bank, every year, in order to pay for last year's loss. So here we are, borrowing money from the poor to give to rich farmers so they can live like millionaires and buy new grossly over-priced farm equipment. This is a guaranteed

16 way for any nation to go broke. On top of that we have scientists declaring to all and sundry that gastric disturbances from animals like cows, pigs, goats, gorillas, whales and man are disturbing global weather patterns, and consequently, that cows and pigs must be eliminated and men must reduce the population explosion to net -17% -- at government expense. But, what if the coin is flipped? Let's give the farmers a new crop that is self-replicating; Yes! let's start with rabbits. This isn't as new or ipreposterous as it sounds. In Europe, where rabbits are farmed on a large scale, they are protected against myxomatosis and calicivirus with a genetically modified virus. This allows rabbits to frolic both day and night. The resulting population explosions mean that bank loans are not required for rabbit farmers to stay in business. Farm machinery is not required because rows are not neccesary. Just throw seed out and let the crops grow. No combines are needed because the rabbits do the harvesting. Why, you don't even need weed control because rabbits will eat anything. In Europe, commercial rabbit crops are raised in cages. A healthier way of producing rabbits might be to cage the land and turn the rabbits loose. For example, cage in acres at a time. How do we cage all that much land? Simple, take a trencher and dig a trench around the area to be caged down to rabbit-proof depths and put rabbit-proof wire in those depths. Rabbits will dig their own housing and there they will thrive and procreate much faster than if they were caged. Harvesting will be similarly painless (for the farmers). Modern commercials can sell anything so changing America's taste choices will also be cost effective. However, it isn't necessary to change human choices. Other Option (a) We could parcel out the tribute we pay other nations for leaving us alone, and pay them off with fresh, clean meat instead. Other Option (b) We can fill dog food bags with rabbit products, or rabbit by-products. Cats will soon be demanding their own share. Other Option (c) We can flood the country with recipes for fresh rabbit. Other Option (d) We can set up various means to harvest that rich, excess fertilize. Dry it out, then reduce it to a powder that can be bagged or shipped out by the train load. There is a natural affinity between rabbit fertilize and earthworms. Scatter powdered rabbit dung over your patch of garden, then sprinkle it down. If you already have earthworms their numbers will explode. If you need earthworms, plant them in the middle of your garden AFTER you have scattered powdered rabbit dung over your garden patch and

17 sprinkled it down. Why do we want earthworms in our soil? Because, when you have a thriving population of earthworms you have healthy soil. Presto, After farmers begin raising rabbits they will begin paying taxes instead of collecting subsidy checks. No longer will we even have to give them the government checks to build million dollar houses with. Aren't you glad?

18 5. THE HARVEST Rabbit Meat is leaner than beef or pork and even leaner than skinned chicken meat. Riders of the Purple Sage thrived on rabbit meat, just as millions of Native Americans have for thousands of centuries. It is a nice clean meat and easily prepared. The flavor can be changed simply by adding something new to your recipe -- or by leaving something out for that matter. Today you can buy your rabbit in the supermarket, or buy it on the hoof from a local farmer if you can imagine yourself in the feral mood. One of the most common types of rabbit to be bred for meat is the New Zealand white rabbit. If you decide to raise your own rabbits, removing the pelt is usually the hardest part. Before you start, prepare yourself for the possibility of finding parasites inside the victim. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. Here's how pelts were removed in the olden days. Drive the point of a very large and heavy duty nail through a stationary board or post so the point protrudes at least 3 inches. Next, turn the board over so the nail is facing outwards, and nail that board to a stationary post or beam. Technically speaking, your apparatus should be sturdy enough to hold up a 98 pound wdeakling without bending or wobbling. Too many people remove the pelt first, then remove the non-essential parts. I remove the non-essential matter prior to removing the pelt. Then I drive the point of the nail through the throat, from the rear, so that the point of the nail emerges just under the lower jaw. From the hole at the throat start a lifting tear towards the back. Insert both index fingers into the hole and pull it apart. The hole will part. Use a small knife to continue tearing. If you lay that knife down for any reason, make sure you put it in a bowl of hot, soapy water. From the back, pull the pelt down over the shoulders. Regardless of the season, begin searching for worms. These are usually a writhing white mass in the intestinal cavity. If parasites are present, most gold prospectors simply disposed of the bundle of meat far from camp and then they go back to prospecting until their appetite returned. If there are no parasites, prepare your clean meat as you would any small game.

19 Deutsch: Kaninchenfleisch, English: Rabbit meat. Date December 2007 Source Garitzko Rabbit meat can be fried, used in stews and cooked with dumplings. In fact, most of your favorite chicken recipes can be successfully used with rabbit meat substituted. Chef Mark Bittman became almost famous by saying that "domesticated rabbit tastes like chicken because both are blank palettes upon which any desired flavors can be layered. However, rabbit meat is leaner than beef, pork, and it's even leaner than chicken meat." Emphasis added. That could cause you to lose weight. Rabbits will eat any type of vegetable scraps from your kitchen. When legally restricted, rabbit products are generally labeled in three ways, the first being Fryer. This is a young rabbit between 4.5 and 5 pounds -- and up to 9 weeks in age. This type of meat is tender and fine grained. The next product is a Roaster; they are usually over 5 pounds and up to 8 months in age. The flesh is firm and coarse grained. The meat is said to be less tender than a fryer. Then there are giblets which include the liver and heart. As mentioned before. another source of income for rabbit producers is the manure. Rabbits are very good producers of manure; worms love it but it must be diluted with water for them. If you are raising rabbits in cages, remember that rabbit urine is naturally high in nitrogen. This makes it a favorite for many gardeners.. Therefore applying it to the base of lemon

20 trees, apple trees and roses makes them very productive. Be sure to emphasize that your manure and urine comes from homegrown rabbits, nurtured with extra high quality food It is claimed that rabbit milk is also of great nutritional value due to its high protein content. Describing jackrabbit milk sparks eloquent claims to the power of 16 compared against contented cows. Track coaches might find it a virtue to supply their high- jumpers with an extra potion -- mmm. -- portion. PELTS Where rabid fur haters have been jailed for destruction of private properties, rabbit pelts are sometimes used for clothing and other accessories, such as baby moccasins, purses, ketches, scarves or hats. You can easily prepare the pelts yourself. First, dry the pelt thoroughly, preferably in open sunlight with the fur on the inside so that light from the sun can cauterize any bits of flesh left behind. To tan the pelt place it inside a cylinder tumbler; an old cement mixer is perfect. The cheapest tanning solution is plain old Boraxo, as a dry powder. Just throw the pelt in with the Boraxo and start tumbling. Keep them tumbling until the pelts are supple, warm and luxurious. Occasionally this process can produce fine results in less than 4 days. Spinning wheels are being produced again. One friend of mine used hers to turn her loose dog and cat hair into yarn. For the sake of her kindred souls I will mention that Angora rabbits are bred for their long, fine hair, which can be sheared and harvested like sheep wool.

21 6. Hare's The Rest Pikas are a form of mountain rabbits that scurry for cover under jumbled rocks. Your Snowshoe Rabbit is a hare. Your Jackrabbits are hares. But the Belgian Hare? He is a rabbit. Hares like open, grassy areas since they rely on their speed and agility to escape danger. Blacktailed Jackrabbits (which are also hares) measure about 2 feet long from nose to tail, and they weigh about 5.5 pounds. They can leap 20 feet in a single bound, and they can run 30 to 35 MPH over rugged terrain. Antelope Jackrabbits (which are not rabbits OR antelopes) are almost as fast as the American Pronghorn Antelope (which is not an antelope either). They have been clocked at speeds of over 40 MPH, jumping as far as 10 to 15 feet at every clip. On Your Mark, Get Set, GO! Dogs who have chased an antelope jackrabbit have been known to give up and not chase another hare of any kind for months. As one hunter said: "I'll admit that Old Mercury has been left behind before, but never that fast!" The End Credits and commercials All pictures in this book are derived from pictures originating in the public domain. Identification is beneath the picture or illustration. All information about rabbits and hares comes from the author, fragments of Wikipedia articles or government pamphlets which are not or cannot be copyrighted, thus being part of the public domain.

22 is the author's next project. Keep your eye peeled. This book may be given away for free, as long as no changes are made inside or out. Launch Your Own Web Site AND MAKE MONEY FROM IT! The GingerBread Man movie, by Lin Stone is now posted for your children to watch. It is supposed to start immediately -- so you'll know when it is ready to play.

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