Effects on heather of heavy grazing by mountain hares

Continual heavy grazing of small patches of heather by mountain hares produces conspicuous, short, lawn-like bushes. Their probable development is described. The shoots of such heather bushes maintained a juvenile appearance, contained more nitrogen and phosphorus than the surrounding heather and, to judge from their chemical composition, were more digestible. The generalization that tree and shrub twigs of juvenile growth form are more unpalatable to hares than twigs of mature growth form did not apply in this case.