332 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



KILLING RABBITS BY SULPHUR. 



It is well known that the European rabbit has been intro- 

 duced into Australia, and by its enormously rapid multipli- 

 cation bids fair to become a veritable pest to the country. 

 Many remedies have been proposed for their extermination, 

 among which the burning of sulphur in their burrows has 

 been strongly recommended. An article by a Mr. Archer, on 

 this subject, however, recounts the numerous experiments 

 made for the purpose of their destruction by sulphur, and 

 ends with the statement that this method is not at all satis- 

 factory, and that carbonic acid would probably be more effi- 

 cient. 12 A, March 2, 359. 



PROTECTING GRAIN-FIELDS FROM CROWS. 



An effective method of preventing the devastation, by 

 crows, of fields that have been recently planted with grain, 

 is said to consist in stretching cords, longitudinally and 

 transversely, upon stakes, about a foot above the earth, and 

 about ten paces apart. 8 C, 1871, xxiv., 190. 



FOOD OF HENS. 



The kind and quality of food given to fowls must necessa- 

 rily exercise an influence upon the quality of their eggs and 

 flesh, although usually little attention is paid to the matter. 

 A gentleman who kept a large poultry-yard found occasion- 

 ally that the eggs of his hens had an unpleasant and rancid 

 taste, and on inquiry ascertained that this was always the 

 case when the food consisted of hemp or flax seed. S C, 1871, 

 xvl, 137. 



comparative fecundity of ducks and hens. 



Some interesting experiments have been made upon the 

 comparative fecundity of ducks and hens so as to determine 

 from which of the two the larger number of eggs can be ob- 

 tained in the same time. For this purpose three hens and 

 three ducks were selected, all hatched in February, and nour- 

 ished with suitable food. In the following autumn the ducks 

 laid 225 ec^s, while the hens laid none. In the next Febru- 

 ary the laying season began again with the ducks and con- 

 tinued uninterruptedly till August. They showed no inch- 



