CHAPTER XV.

RODENTIA--HARES; INSECTIVORA--HEDGEHOGS.

THE HARE (_Lepus europaeus_).

Hares, like rabbits, are animals destitute of any special means of defence against their enemies except the rapidity of their movements, and they are exceedingly shy and timid. Their eyes and ears are instantly cognisant of even distant warnings of danger, and the limbs are admirably adapted for the most rapid flight. The hind limbs are nearly twice as long as the fore limbs, and are very muscular. Owing to their great length the animal, when moving slowly in search of food, goes awkwardly about, “but the moment there is occasion for him to move rapidly the disproportionate hind limbs stand him in good stead, and he shoots along the ground by a series of long leaps and with great swiftness. At the same time, it is observed that the length of its hind legs causes the hare to run with much greater facility uphill than down, and in fact it is said that in descending steep inclines the animal is obliged to run obliquely in order to escape overbalancing itself. When pursued the hare has the art of making sudden turns in its course, known as ‘doubles’ or ‘wrenches,’ by which the dogs in chase of it are thrown out. Greyhounds are swifter of foot than hares, but they are incapable of changing their course so sharply, and thus, while they are carried some distance onwards by their own impetus, their intended victim is making off in a different direction.”

Hares can swim well, and have been seen crossing an arm of the sea a mile wide. Hares do not burrow, but live in a small hollow on the surface of the ground, which is known as the “form.” They select a shady spot in summer, a sunny one in winter, and go under cover when it rains. They live chiefly in cultivated country, but in New Zealand are not uncommon on grass-land and on river-beds, though I have met with them far up the slopes of Mount Egmont. They feed on most vegetable materials.

Hares begin to breed when they are about a year old, and produce several broods each year, each consisting of from two to five young. I have been informed that in New Zealand hares usually produce three or four young in a litter, whereas in England they seldom have more than two. It is also stated that the animals are larger here than in Britain. Both statements require verification, but if these are facts they are probably due only to the abundance of the food-supply.

It is just about fifty years since hares were first introduced into New Zealand, and the most remarkable thing about this fact is that the numbers originally brought here were so small. The Otago Acclimatization Society appear to have been the first to bring them here. They got three from Geelong, in Victoria, in 1867, and liberated them at Waihola, where two years later they were reported to be plentiful. Another was obtained in 1868, and three more in 1875. The Canterbury Society got two in 1868 and four in 1873. The Southland Society imported some (the number is not recorded) in 1869 from Victoria, two more in 1871, and two in 1874, and then forty in 1887. The Nelson Society introduced some (again the number is not specified) in 1872, and it is stated that these increased so rapidly as to become a nuisance in the district. These are all the records I can find of importations from abroad into the South Island, and, considering the casual manner and small numbers in which they were introduced, their subsequent increase is most remarkable. They soon spread all over the flatter parts of the Island, keeping mostly about cultivated land, and especially in districts where rabbits were not abundant. They are now common from Foveaux Strait to Cook Strait.

In the North Island the Auckland Society introduced two hares in 1868 and nine in 1871. I can find no other record. From the Auckland District they spread south, and other acclimatization societies assisted to distribute them far and wide. Wellington liberated two in 1874, fourteen in 1875, and four in 1876; and in 1885 reported them as “numerous in the vicinity of Wellington and the lower end of the Wairarapa Valley.” In more recent years they are reported as in large numbers about Marton, increasing about Pahiatua, and as seen in almost every part of the Eketahuna district. The Taranaki Society introduced them in 1876, and they were reported as thriving in 1884. On Mount Egmont at the present time they are common about the bush-line, and in the summer months up to 6,000 ft. In 1905 the Waimarino Society purchased and liberated a number, and protected them for two years. Later on they became so numerous that they were declared to be no longer game, and all restrictions about shooting them were removed. I learn from Mr. E. Phillips Turner, of the New Zealand Forest Department, that they are found all through the volcanic plateau of the North Island from Rotorua to Waiouru.

In no part of New Zealand have they increased to a greater extent than in South Canterbury, where they became so abundant that a considerable export trade sprang up, mostly from the Port of Timaru. Thus the total number of frozen hares exported from New Zealand in 1910 was declared at 10,744, and in 1911 at 11,418. The number has varied in subsequent years, but is still very considerable. It is probable that a good many hares are exported but declared in the Customs returns as rabbits.

In some parts of New Zealand hares tend to become white in the winter season, just as they do in parts of the Old Country, following the same seasonal variations as occur in ferrets, stoats, and other sub-Arctic animals. Several observers state that this is a familiar phenomenon in South Canterbury.

THE HEDGEHOG (_Erinaceus europaeus_).

This interesting little animal belongs to an order called the Insectivora, not because they are the only mammals which eat insects, but because the latter creatures, with worms and other “small fry,” constitute the whole, or nearly the whole, of their food. Hedgehogs are small, stoutly-built animals, with very short tails, and the greater part of the hairs on the upper surface are converted into spines. They have the power of rolling themselves into balls, and these spines thus constitute a most powerful defensive armour. The spines are about 1 in. long, and are hard and sharp; they are greyish in colour, with a dark-brown or nearly black ring a little above the middle. The legs are short, so that the animal runs with its belly nearly touching the ground, and the feet have five toes. A full-grown hedgehog is about 10 in. long. When a tame hedgehog is poked on the forehead it puts its head down, erects its bristles like a crest, and utters little short grunts; sometimes they make this grunting noise at night. In the cauldron scene in Macbeth Shakespeare makes the Second Witch say, “Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.”

In the colder parts of Europe the hedgehog becomes torpid in winter, and lies asleep for months in a nest of moss or leaves, usually in a hole or sheltered hollow. I do not know how long it hibernates in New Zealand. It wakes up in spring, very hungry, and in its excursions, which are undertaken at night, it proceeds to make up for lost time, and runs about with a quick shuffling gait. It is particularly fond of beetles, but it eats all sorts of insects, as well as worms, slugs, and small snails. Occasionally it goes for bigger things, such as frogs and mice, young birds, and especially eggs. It has been credited with turning a hen off her nest and eating her eggs. Sometimes it eats vegetables, and I am told that about Christchurch it digs the potatoes out of the rows. On the whole, however, it is a beneficial animal in a garden.

The first hedgehogs brought into New Zealand were received in 1870 by the Canterbury Acclimatization Society, which got a pair, but I do not know what came of them.

In 1885 a shipment of one hundred was made to the Otago Society, but only three survived the voyage. These were liberated in a suburban garden, but were very sluggish, though the weather was warm; this was probably due to their having lost their usual season of hibernation. Others were probably imported later, for in 1890 hedgehogs were found near Port Chalmers.

In 1894 the late Mr. Peter Cunningham, of Merivale, Christchurch, sent a consignment of wekas Home, and got twelve hedgehogs out in exchange. They were placed in a pigeon-house, but got out under the wire netting and escaped. For years nothing was heard of them, but they gradually increased and are now extraordinarily abundant. Mr. Edgar F. Stead, of Riccarton, writing in March, 1916, says, “If I hunted through my garden with my dog I could get a dozen now, and I frequently kill them. They are extraordinarily destructive to chickens, their depredations being readily identified by the fact that they eat their victim’s stomach first, whereas a cat eats the breast first, and rats and weasels go for the head and neck. Once a hedgehog starts eating chickens he will go on until caught or the supply runs out. I know of many cases where a trap set and baited with the remains of a chicken has caught the marauding hedgehog.”

These animals are now very abundant between Christchurch and Dunedin. Two pairs were introduced into the gardens at New Plymouth in 1913, and they are now increasing rapidly in Taranaki.

Old superstitions and beliefs are difficult to eradicate. Among my correspondents, one who hails (over forty years ago) from Surrey, England, is a firm believer in the myth that hedgehogs visit the cows during the night and suck their milk; and he warns me that the milking-qualities of cows are frequently destroyed by them. I can find no satisfactory evidence of this.

INDEX.

Anderton, T.: Note on polecats, 67.

Antipodes Island, goats on, 45; seals, 78; mice, 92.

Aston, B. C., on--wild cattle, 39, 40; sheep, 41; goats, 44; cats, 61; rabbits, 103.

Auckland Islands, pigs on, 21; cattle, 40; goats, 45; cats, 61; dogs, 65; seals, 78; mice, 92.

Axis deer, 25.

Banks, Sir Joseph, on--seals, 76; native rats, 83.

Beddard, Professor, on sperm whale, 50.

Bees, introduced, in New Zealand, 8.

Begg, James, on rabbits, 97.

Bellingshausen, Commander: Wild cats on Macquaries, 61; wild dogs, 63, 65.

Birds, introduced, in New Zealand, 6.

Black-tailed deer, 25.

Bollons, Captain: Goats on the Southern Islands, 45; rats on Campbell Island, 91.

Boscawen, Colonel, on opossums, 17.

Broad, Judge: Bats in Nelson, 85.

Brunner, Mr., on Maori dogs, 64.

Bullen, Frank, on--sperm whales, 49; porpoises, 52; killer whales, 55.

Bullen, W. R., on wild goats, 44.

Buller, Sir Walter, on--bats, 80; native rats, 86.

Cachalot, 49.

Caldwell, Mr., on New Zealand bats, 80.

Campbell Island, sheep on, 43; goats, 45; seals, 78; rats, 91; mice, 92.

Carnivora, definition of, 11.

Cetacea, definition of, 11.

Chamois, 46.

Chatham Islands, pigs on, 21; cattle, 40; sheep, 42; cats, 61; rats, 91.

Cheeseman, T., on New Zealand bats, 81.

Chital (or axis deer), 25.

Cockayne, Dr. L., on--wild cattle, 40; sheep, 42, 43; goats, 45.

Cook, Captain James: First visit to New Zealand, 8; introduction of--pigs, 18; sheep, 40; goats, 43; native dogs, 62.

Cotton, Dr. C. A.: Erosion of land, 103.

Crozet, Captain, on native dogs, 62.

Darwin, Charles: Reversion among wild cats, 59; extinction of the native rat, 89.

De Surville, Captain: Introduction of pigs, 19.

Dieffenbach, Dr., on--pigs, 19; change in wild cats, 59; rats, 92.

Don, Rev. A.: Action of rabbits on the country, 104.

Enderby, Captain: Cattle on Southern Islands, 45.

European birds in New Zealand, 6.

Forster, Dr. J. R.: Introduction of--pigs, 19; seals, 75; native rats, 83.

Furneaux, Captain: Introduction of--pigs, 19; goats, 43.

Gates, W. H., on--goats, 44; colours of rabbits, 104.

George, Hon. S. Thorne: Fallow deer on Kawau, 28; cattle on Kawau, 39.

Gibbs, F. G.: Goats in Nelson, 43.

Gillies, Robert, on--wild pigs, 20; dogs, 64; mice, 92.

Goats, Himalayan (thar), 46.

Grampus, 55.

Grey, Sir George: Introduction of--wallabies, 12; wapiti, 24; fallow deer, 28; rabbits, 98.

Gunn, A.: Goats in Central Otago, 45.

Hardcastle, Mr., on red deer, 30, 31.

Hector, Sir James, on seals, 74, 75.

Henry, Richard, on ferrets, 72.

Hochstetter, Dr.: Wild pigs in Nelson, 21.

Hocken, Dr.: Settlement abandoned on account of rats, 86.

Hotop, L.: Goats in Wakatipu district, 44.

Huddlestone, Mr.: Rabbits in Nelson, 98.

Hunt, F.: Food of opossums, 16.

Hutton, Captain F. W., on--New Zealand bats, 80; rats, 84, 89; extermination of _Aciphylla_ by rabbits, 103.

Insectivora, definition of, 11.

Japanese deer, 24.

Kawau, animals introduced on to: Wallaby, 12; wapiti, 24; fallow deer, 28; cattle, 39.

Killer whale, 55.

King, Captain: Introduction of pigs, 19.

Kingsley, R. I.: Rats nesting in trees, 89.

Knox, Dr.: Native bats, 79, 80.

Laing, R. M.: Sheep on Campbell Island, 43.

Lyall, Dr.: Race of wild dogs, 63.

McNab, Dr. R.: Seal-fishery, 76, 78.

Marriner, G. R.: Rats in Campbell Island, 89.

Marsupial, definition of, 11.

Meeson, Mr.: Rats in Nelson and Marlborough, 88.

Menzies, Dr.: Introduction of rabbits, 98.

Monro, Dr.: Wild pigs in Otago, 21.

Moose, introduction of, 25.

Mueller, George: Rabbits in Westland, 72.

Murison, W. D.: Wild dogs in Otago, 64.

Musgrave, Captain: Animals in the Auckland Islands--cats, 61; dogs, 65.

Norman, Richard: Stoats in west coast, 72.

“Pelorus Jack,” 53.

Peters, Charles J.: Cats, 60; rabbits, 72.

Petrie, D.: Grass-denuded land, 102, 104.

Philpott, A.: Mice in Southland, 92.

Reed, John: Introduction of wallabies, 12.

Rodentia, definition of, 11.

Rorqual, 47, 48.

Rutland, J.: Plague of rats, 87.

Scott, Robert: Wild pigs in Central Otago, 20; cats, 59.

Slugs and snails, introduced, 8.

Smith, S. Percy: Native dogs, 63.

Speight, R.: Rats in Christchurch, 89.

Spermaceti, 50.

Stead, Edgar F.: Hedgehogs in Christchurch, 109.

Studholme, J.: Introduction of wallabies, 12.

Tancred, H. J.: Rats in Canterbury, 85.

Taylor, Rev. R., on--New Zealand dog, 63; Maori rat, 84; rabbits, 97.

Technical names, 10.

Thar (Himalayan goat), 46.

Thomas, Oldfield, on rats, 84.

Thomson, G. S.: Cattle in west-coast country, 40.

Thomson, J. A., on--cats, 58, 61; wild ferrets, 67.

Travers, H. H.: Animals on Chatham Islands--cats, 61; rats, 91.

Travers, W. T. L., on--rats, 85; food of hawks, 92.

Tuatara, 61.

Tuckett, F.: Pigs in Otago, 21; rabbits at Taukupu, 97.

Ungulata, definition of, 11.

Wakefield, E. J.: Wild cattle, 39; rabbits, 97.

Wapiti (deer), 24.

Weir, H. C., on wild cats, 60.

White, Taylor: Native dog, 64; rats, 87; mice, 92.

Wohlers, Pastor: Mice on Ruapuke, 92.

Worms, introduced, 7, 8.

Yarborough, A. C.: Animals at Hokianga--cattle, 39; stoats and weasels, 73; rabbits, 105.

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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

Page 30: Removed line that has been doubled up ‘ancient forests of Germany superb herds of the red deer were to’.

Page 43: It is in the opinion of the Transcriber that the word Tomatongeauooranuc should be spelt Tomatongeauooranuk, as there is no letter ‘c’ in the Maori language.

Page 60: Changed ‘is’ to ‘it’ reading ‘because it prefers the entrails’.