The Burgess Animal Book for Children | Page 8

the great plains of the Northwest, though sometimes he

is found in the mountains and forests. He is sometimes called the
Prairie Hare. In winter his coat is white, but in summer it is a light
brown. Summer or winter his tail is white, wherein he is much like you,
Peter. It is because of this that he is called White-tailed Jack."
"Is his tail as short as mine?" asked Peter eagerly.
Old Mother Nature laughed right out. "No, Peter," she replied. "It
wouldn't be called a long tail by any other animal, but for a member of
your family it really is long, and when White-tailed Jack is running he
switches it from side to side. His hind legs are very long and powerful,
and he can make a single jump of twenty feet without half trying. Not
even Old Man Coyote can catch him in a straightaway race. You think
Jumper's ears are long, Peter, but they are short compared to the ears of
White-tailed Jack. Not only are his ears long, but they are very big.
When he squats in his form and lays his ears back they reach way over
his shoulders. Like the other members of the Hare family he doesn't use
holes in the ground or hollow logs. He trusts to his long legs and to his
wonderful speed to escape from his enemies. Among the latter are
Howler the Wolf, Old Man Coyote, Eagles, Hawks and Owls. He is so
big that he would make five or six of you, Peter."
Peter drew a long breath. "It is dreadfully hard to believe that I can
have a cousin as big as that," he exclaimed. "But of course if you say it
is so, it is so," he hastened to add. "Have I any other cousins anywhere
near as big?"
Old Mother Nature nodded. "There are some others very like
White-tailed Jack, only not quite as big," said she. "They have just such
long hind legs, and just such great ears, but their coats are different, and
they live on the great plains farther south. Some of them live so far
south that it is warm all the year round. One of these latter is Antelope
Jack, whose home is in the Southwest."
"Tell us about him," begged Peter.
"To begin with," replied Old Mother Nature, "he is a member of the big
Jack Rabbit or Jack Hare branch of your family. None of this branch

should be called a Rabbit. All the members are first cousins to Jumper
and are true Hares. All have big ears, long, rather thin necks, and long
legs. Even their front legs are comparatively long. Antelope Jack is
probably next in size to White-tailed Jack. Strange to say, although he
lives where it is warm for most of the year, his coat is very largely
white. His back is a yellowish-brown and so is his throat. But his sides
are white. The surprising thing about him is that he has the power of
making himself seem almost wholly white. He can make the white hair
spread out at will by means of some special little muscles which I have
given him, so that the white of his sides at times almost seems to meet
on his back. When he does this in the sun it makes flashes of white
which can be seen a long way. By means of this Antelope Jack and his
friends can keep track of each other when they are a long distance apart.
There is only one other animal who can flash signals in this way, and
that is the Antelope of whom I will tell you some other time. It is
because Jack flashes signals in this way that he is called Antelope Jack.
In his habits he is otherwise much like the other members of his family.
He trusts to his long legs and his wonderful powers of jumping to keep
him out of danger. He is not as well known as his commoner cousin,
plain Jack Rabbit. Everybody knows Jack Rabbit."
Peter shook his head. "I don't," said he very meekly.
"Then it is time you did," replied Old Mother Nature. "If you had ever
been in the Far West you would know him. Everybody out there knows
him. He isn't quite as big as Antelope Jack but still he is a big fellow.
He wears a brownish coat much like Jumper's, and the tips of his long
ears are black. His tail is longer than Jumper's, and when he runs he
carries it down."
"I don't carry mine down," Peter piped up.
Old Mother Nature laughed right out. "True enough, Peter, true
enough," said she. "You couldn't if you wanted to. It isn't long enough
to carry any way but up.