Rabbit

a well-known animal of the harekind, with a short tail, and naked ears. In the wild state, the colour of the fur 1s brown; but, in. a tame state, it varies to a black, pied, and quite white; the eyes are of a fine red. (See Leprus.) In their wild state they inhabit the temperate and hot parts of Europe, and the hottest parts of Asia and Africa. The female, or doe rabbit, goes with young thirty days, and then kindles; and if she take not the buck at once she loses her month, or at least a fortnight, and often kills her young and eats them. England they begin to breed at a year old, but in some places much sooner; and continue breeding very fast from the time when they begin, four, five, six, or seven times a year being common with them. The female sometimes brings eight young ones at a time. Supposing this to happen regularly for four years, the number of rabbits from a single pair would amount to 1,274,840. By this account we might justly apprehend being overstocked with these animals; but a great number of enemies prevent their increase; not only men, but hawks and beasts of prey making dreadful havock among them. Notwithstanding all these different enemies, however, we are told by Pliny and Strabo, that they once proved such a nuisance to the inhabitants of the Balearic islands, that they were obliged to implore the a istance of a military force from August us in order to exterminate them. The does cannot suckle their young till they have been at buck again; this therefore is to be done soon, else there is a fortnight lost of the time for the next brood, and the present brood also probably lost. When the buck goes to the doe, he always first beats and stamps very hard with his feet,and when he has copulated with her he falls backward, and lies, as it were, in a ‘trance; in this state it is easy to take him, buat he soon recovers from it. The buck-rabbit, like our boar-cats, will kill the young ones, if hecan get at them; and the does in the warrens prevent this, by covering their stocks, or nests, with gravel or earth, which they close so artificially up with the hinder part of their bodies, that it 1s difficult to find them out. They never suckle the young ones at any other time than early in the morning and late at night, and always for eight or ten days close up the hole at the mouth of the nest, in this careful mans ner, when they go out. After this they begin to leave a small opening, which they increase by degrees, till at length, when they are about three weeks old, the mouth of the hole is left. wholly open, that the young may go out; for they are at that time grown big enough to take care of themselves, and to feed on gra . When the young ones come to the plas of the hole, and eat such herbs as the mother brings to them, the father seems to know them: he takes them betwixt his paws, smooths their hair, and care es them with great fondne . Wild rabbits are much inferior in size, and many shades lighter in the colour of their fur, than the hare, to whom they have a natural and an invincible aversion; which, in fact, seems to be mutual, as they are but rarely found in the purlieus of each other, The rabbit, in. its wild and uncultivated state, (not part of, or appertaining to a warren,) is thought of but very little intrinsic value, and is killed or taken asa matter of public right, by individuals of every cla who happen to find them; not being included in the late acts of parliament for the preservation of the game; although they are mentioned as conies in some of the former records, which, though unrepealed, are seldom resorted to for legal information. Rabbits in a warren are supposed the most prolific and profitable animal of any that contributes to human subsistence: these warrens are common in many paris of the kingdom, but more particularly in Yorkshire, Kincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridge shire, by the three last of which > counties the metropolis is supplied for its al-. most infinite consumption. The scent ofa. rabbit is exceedingly faint in comparison with that of the hare, fox, or fallow deer; by jumping up suddenly, however, it frequently leads hounds a little astray, but cannot stand long before them. In consequence of the rapidity with which tabbits breed, they increase so largely in some parks and farms of a woodland country as to become, by their numbers, exceedingly injurious, and an occasional reduction now, as in former times, is found nece ary, as a matter of self-defence; in which case rabbit-shooting is. a pleasant diversion. This is followed up by the a istance of a brace of spaniels, which being turned into the bushes and hedge-rows, _are hardiy ever without a rabbit on foot: but it | must be a very quick and good shot that proves succe ful, as their short turns and sudden twists render them a very difficult mark to hit. Warreners, in some parts of the kingdom, are, called warren farmers; their premises are ef very great extent, and their rent from three to four and five hundred pounds a year: the rabbits in these warrens are so completely private property, that various acts are still in force for their preservation, and a summary punishment of offenders (before a justice of peace) for any transgre ion’ against the statutes in such case made and provided. 65