THE EDUCATIONAL HUMANE SOCIETY 



333 



field mice, etc., far overbalances the 

 injury done by mischievous individ- 

 uals. While it sometimes becomes 

 necessary to put an end to the pranks 

 of an individual mischief maker, it is 

 surely a mistake to allow the persecu- 

 tion of the race as a whole. 



Water for Rabbits and Cavies. 



Zoological Park, New York City. 

 To the Editor : 



We feed rats on carrots, apples, let- 

 tuce, cabbage, and all kinds of grain. 

 Carrots, to a greater extent than the 

 other things mentioned, supply the 

 moisture which they need, and are par- 

 ticularly good for them. There is no 

 harm in giving water to your rats, al- 

 though we have proved pretty con- 

 clusively by our experience here that 

 it is not necessary. You should not 

 give any water to your rabbits and 

 cavies. We consider it absolutely in- 

 jurious. Feed them practically the 

 same as you feed the rats, except that 

 you should give them a greater quan- 

 tity of vegetables — especially carrots. 

 I think you will find that your Japanese 

 rats will relish carrots. 



Yours very truly, 



H. R. Mitchell, 



Chief Clerk. 

 Dalton, Mass. 



To the Editor : 



My thirty years' experience as a fan- 

 cier and breeder of fancy pet stock has 

 taught me that water given to four- 

 footed pets is not absolutely injurious, 

 provided good judgment is used. 



I find if I do not give water to my 

 rabbits, rats and mice, that they will 

 consume more than double the quan- 

 tity of succulent roots of any kind with 

 the exception of carrots. Other suc- 

 culent roots, such as turnips and pars- 

 nips, are far more injurious than water 

 iself. I always keep good, fresh clover- 

 hay in my hutches, and put a handful 

 of oats there every day. Water given 

 with hay is a good regulator. Of 

 course, if you want to keep rabbits, 

 rats and mice without water, they will 

 live on roots, vegetables and some 

 fruits, but they are more liable to dis- 

 ease if treated in that manner. I have 

 always found that a rabbit, if given the 

 opportunity, knows fairly well how to 

 feed itself, for, under such conditions, 

 it knows when it has had enough. It 

 is not wise to give an excess of water 

 after withholding it for considerable 

 length of time. I have never had a 

 rabbit made sick by giving it water. 



Cavies will get along much better if 

 fed principally on roots, vegetables and 

 good, sweet hay without any water. 

 Yours very truly, 

 Robert Whitaker. 



CAT AND SQUIRRELS. 

 From G. M. Foster, Glasgow, Kentucky. 

 Cut by courtesy of "The Cat Journal." 



