156 M. I'. WASHBURN AND EDWINA ABBOTT 



one another. The young ones were not sexually mature at the 

 time our work with them ceased : since they were all males it is 

 possible that they might have become more quarrelsome at 

 maturity. 



No sounds or movements indicative of pleasure were observed, 

 with one exception. Scratching a point on the side of the jaw, 

 under the ear, caused the ear on the same side to droop forward. 

 This movement seemed like a reflex produced by touching a 

 particular spot, yet there were times when it could not be elicited. 

 The rabbits would sit still and allow their noses to be stroked 

 and their ears gently pulled. They never sought these atten- 

 tions, however. 



Little maternal behavior was observed on the part of the mother 

 rabbit. She made the usual nest in preparation for the arrival 

 of her offspring, lining a deep hollow in straw with fur from her 

 body. After the young were born we never saw her go near 

 the nest. She manifested no reaction whatever when we took 

 the young ones out, and if we brought her to the neighborhood 

 of the nest she made every effort to get away from it. Probably 

 this behavior is due to a protective instinct to avoid betraying 

 the neighborhood of the nest. When the young ones had emerged 

 from the fur covered nest and were scrambling about, the mother 

 never nosed them, washed them, or paid the slightest attention 

 to them in our presence ; they seemed to offer no stimulus to 

 her whatever. Twice we saw a young rabbit come up to her, 

 throw itself on its back and begin to nurse, but on both occasions 

 she moved off at once leaving it sprawling. At no other time 

 did we see her feed them. Despite maternal indifference the 

 litter flourished. 



On the whole the rabbits seemed to have little social behavior. 

 We never observed them playing together. They would run, 

 jump in the air, and gnaw the floor and woodwork, but they 

 did not chase each other or lie in ambush and startle each other 

 as kittens do : this type of play is evidently characteristic of a 

 hunting rather than a hunted animal. If one rabbit happened 

 to come upon another suddenly it would jump back, but the 

 play would go no farther. They often lay down in little 

 groups, however, and one rabbit would come up to another 

 and offer its face to be washed. The effect was amusing 

 when two of them washed each other's face simultaneously. 



