[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Fordim Hedgethistle

Anyone interested in the question of Middle Earth hares might want to check out this thread.

Perhap's Isildur's hare deserted him when he was ambused and found a new home with the Elves of Mirkwood. . .?

This is possible and would fit the time frame since Legolas would have been no more than an elfling at this time I believe. The descendents of the original hare of Isildur (the resulting distinct species being known still in the North as "Isildur's Hare") were bred by the Silvan Elves and Thranduil made a gift of several breeding pairs to his kinsmen in Lorien. Much to his chagrin, Galadriel failed to reciprocate this gesture by sharing the secret of how the wool could be combed and blended into the famous cloth used as camouflage by the Galadhrim - for it was believed that the wool of an Isildur's Hare was vital in this fabric. Even the Noldor of Imladris could not find the method and so were limited to using the wool in a coarser form for rugs.....