45-i REPORT OX TREES NOT LIABLE TO BE DESTROYED BY RABBITS. 



not so fond of the leaves as of the young branches and the hark. 

 As a proof of their preference for the bark of silver fir over that 

 of Norway spruce, in a plantation under care of the -writer, 

 composed of spruces and silver firs of about equal numbers, in 

 the spring of 1867, the whole of the silver firs were found to 

 be less or more peeled, while not one of the spruces were at all 

 injured. 



The Pinus Laricio is one of the few species of trees little liable 

 to injury from rabbits. When it is grown amongst Scots pine 

 and larch it quite escapes, while they are destroyed. 



Pinus Smithiana is a tree as little injured by rabbits as any 

 in the forest or pinetum. They do occasionally nip off the ter- 

 minal shoots of the branches, but they do not consume them as 

 food, nor peel the stems of the trees. 



Pinus Menziesii is a tree that stands in the same list as the 

 preceding one, and is exempt from the destruction of rabbits to 

 much the same extent. I have seen it growing all but entirely 

 untouched in the midst of a colony of rabbits. 



Pinus alba (white American spruce) is very rarely eaten in any 

 of its parts, leaves, branches, or bark, hence is very suitable for 

 planting under hazardous circumstances. 



Pinus nigra (black American spruce) is, in regard to safety, 

 first in its class. Having seen the black American spruce grow- 

 ing in highest perfection, surrounded with others quite destroyed, 

 leads to the conclusion that it is a tree all but entirely exempt 

 from the injuries inflicted by rabbits, and may, therefore, be 

 planted under a numerous head with perfect confidence of future 

 safety. 



The Araucaria imbricata is often spoken of as a rabbit-proof 

 plant ; this unfortunately is not the case. Eabbits do not eat its 

 leaves ; but as soon as they fall off the lower part of the stem, 

 leaving it bare, it is readily seized upon and peeled. 



The Cupr&ssus Zambertiana is a tree almost quite safe to plant 

 under rabbits ; it is only during extreme snow-storms that it is 

 injured, and that very slightly in the bark. 



The Cupressus Lawsoniana is also a tree which rabbits dislike. 

 aSTone of it is injured under a full stock of rabbits ; and when most 

 other plants are eaten, I have no hesitation in classing the C. Law- 

 soniana amongst game-proof plants. 



In order to test the tastes of rabbits for certain plants, the writer 

 procured a number of tame ones, and kept them in a large loft, 

 giving them nothing to eat for three months but branches of trees, 

 shrubs, &c. He <mve them from four to six different sorts at a 

 time, and allowed them nothing else till a fresh supply was 

 brought after two or three days. This mode of testing which 

 plants they liked and which they disliked was very tedious, and, 

 moreover, unpleasant to the feelings to see the creatures so lean 



