Chap. TV, FERAL RABBITS. 119 



of skins in the British Museum from various countries, and 

 all have the upper surface of the tail and the tips of the ears 

 clothed with blackish-grey fur ; and this is given in most 

 works as one of the specific characters of the rabbit. Now 

 in the seven Porto Santo rabbits the upper surface of the 

 tail was reddish-brown, and the tips of the ears had no trace 

 of the black edging. But here we meet with a singular 

 circumstance : in June, 1861, 1 examined two of these rabbits 

 recently sent to the Zoological Gardens, and their tails and 

 ears were coloured as just described ; but when one of their 

 dead bodies was sent to me in February, 1865, the ears were 

 plainly edged, and the upper surface of the tail was covered 

 with blackish-grey fur, and the whole body was much less 

 red ; so that under the English climate this individual rabbit 

 had recovered the proper colour of its fur in rather less than 

 four years ! 



The two little Porto Santo rabbits, whilst alive in the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens, had a remarkably different appearance from 

 the common kind. They were extraordinarily wild and active, 

 so that many persons exclaimed on seeing them that they were 

 more like large rats than rabbits. They were nocturnal to 

 an unusual degree in their habits, and their wildness was never 

 in the least subdued ; so that the superintendent, Mr. Bartlett, 

 assured me that he had never had a wilder animal under his 

 charge. This is a singular fact, considering that they are de- 

 scended from a domesticated breed. I was so much surprised at 

 it, that I requested Mr. Haywood to make inquiries on the spot, 

 whether they were much hunted by the inhabitants, or per- 

 secuted by hawks, or cats, or other animals ; but this is not 

 the case, and no cause can be assigned for their wildness. 

 They live both on the central, higher rocky land and near 

 the sea-cliffs, and, from being exceedingly shy and timid, 

 seldom appear in the lower and cultivated districts. They 

 are said to produce from four to six young at a birth, and 

 their breeding season is in July and August. Lastly, and 

 this is a highly remarkable fact, Mr. Bartlett could never 

 succeed in getting these two rabbits, which were both males, 

 to associate or breed with the females of several breeds which 

 were repeatedly placed w'.th them. 



