Phillips. — 0)i Eabhit-disease. 431 



better thing for Australia. We often discussed the matter 

 amongst ourselves. The rabbits had disappeared like magic. 

 Surely the remedies we had taken would apply to Australia. 

 As to the ferret, I was not at all satisfied with its action. It 

 did not appear to have done nearly the good that I had 

 anticipated. The cats were doing as much good, I thought. 

 I placed as little reliance upon the ferret as I did upon poison- 

 ing or rabbit-fencing. The ferrets died off rapidly from dis- 

 temper. They did not appear to at all increase in sufficient 

 numbers to cope with the evil. Although a gill-ferret littered 

 in large numbers, yet the young ones did not appear to sur- 

 vive. But they had done a certain amount of good. (Con- 

 sequently I still advise their use. I would say this, however: 

 that they must not be relied upon in the South Island for the 

 high, snowy lands.) 



I therefore determined to apply for the reward myself, and 

 I sent one of the diseased rabbits to Sir James Hector to ask 

 his opinion. That gentleman replied favourably. He had 

 previously received two specimens of the disease from the 

 Wairarapa, and he had himself seen a virulent disease of some 

 kind amongst the rabbits in North America. Sir James had 

 previously spoken to me about this disease that he had 

 observed, and he therefore made up his mind definitely to 

 identify it, upon receiving this third specimen from me, with 

 the North American disease. Professor Thomas differs from 

 this view, and says that the tape- worm is not the same — that 

 it is totally distinct. It may be so, and Sir James Hector 

 may be wrong. Our rabbit is not the same animal as the jack- 

 rabbit of North America— a sort of hare ; but, nevertheless, I 

 wish to record ny thorough appreciation of Sir James Hector's 

 services in identifying the disease so far as he did. Sir James 

 did not know which animal acted as host in passing the par- 

 ticular worm that is here. I said it was the dog. We had 

 all along observed it coming from the dog. Neither Sir James 

 nor Professor Thomas thought it could be the tame dog, 

 although Professor Thomas was careful to express no decided 

 opinion. It will be observed upon reference that Sir James 

 Hector thought it came " probably from the wild dog and 

 cat." Of course we have wild dogs, and I had turned out 

 many cats, which have thriven remarkably well ; and these 

 may have started the disease : but the tame dogs certainly do 

 carry it on, and they will spread it readily in the South 

 Island. The cats may also spread it, as there are at least a 

 hundred cats upon my run now. The disease only requires 

 to be started upon the runs in the south or elsewhere to per- 

 form as good work as it performed with us in the Wairarapa. 



My letter to the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, 

 applying for the reward, found its way into the newspapers of 



