The Hare by Jill Mason

There is something special about a hare.

Many who have fallen under the spell of this elusive, beautiful and contradictory creature have longed to know more about its secretive life, but few researchers have had the patience and skill to untangle fact from fiction, to reveal the surprising evidence about this truly wild animal. And few photographers have managed to capture so many rare images of the hare on camera.

Jill Mason presents a lively account of the natural history of the hare, covering its behaviour throughout the seasons, its courtship and breeding, its favoured habitats and worldwide distribution, its remarkable survival techniques, its predators and its hunters.

The superstitions and folklore which surround the hare are explored; and the latest scientific findings and conservation initiatives are clearly reported for the general reader.

A total of 230 stunning colour photographs, by talented wildlife photographer David Mason, include pictures of hare behaviour never caught on camera before.

Jill Mason was one of Britain’s first women gamekeepers, a job which she enjoyed for over 30 years. She has lived and worked in the countryside all her life and has written for several country and field sports magazines.

She is the author of several books including The Rabbit, The Hare and The Townies’ Guide to the Countryside, Rural England, and Away My Lads, Away and The Ennerdale and Eskdale Hunt.

She lives in Norfolk with her husband David Mason, also a retired gamekeeper.

David Mason, whose pictures appear throughout her books, is a keen wildlife and countryside photographer whose work has been published in many books, magazines and newspapers.