18 A Note on Afiricnltural Oecolorjy in Mid- Wales 



and finally, it is contended by some that hunting in the lower lands 

 drives lowland vixens into the hills and so further accentuates the 

 coincidence of circumstances which cause trouble. I have myself 

 examined lambs found dead, and partially eaten, upon the sheep walks 

 in that region, and consider their deaths were due to fox attack. 



A minor annoyance due to foxes is the manner in which they tear 

 and mutilate rabbits caught in traps and snares. Foxes are made 

 aware of the whereabouts of such rabbits by their cries when first 

 caught. A curious custom, the origin of wliich is obscure to me, is 

 that of putting raddle or red paint upon the back of lambs, to keep 

 oft' foxes. Another local idea is that foxes show a preference for white 

 fowls ; and this may be explained perhaps by the greater prominence 

 of such birds at night, etc. 



One farmer says that he has observed foxes catching moles, digging 

 them out as dogs sometimes do. 



Rabbits are particularly abundant along the coast region between 

 Aberystwyth and Borth, and also in the valley of the Ystwyth ; but 

 comparatively few complaints as to damage have been made to me. 

 This is possibly due to the amount of rough land and the wide range 

 they usually enjoy, for very seldom does a colony occupy narrow 

 limits surrounded by cultivated land. In certain cases, however, 

 I have seen considerable damage to young corn, and also to meadow 

 grass. Throughout the remainder of the lowlands and slope lands 

 rabbits are usually present in small numbers, b\;t on the mountain 

 tops they are very scarce, or entirely absent, especially on peat. There 

 are several interesting exceptions ; in one instance at an altitude of 

 1300 feet, a colony is established in a fir plantation, three miles from 

 any other colony of which I am aware. 



The other exceptions are due to the physical characters of the 

 Drosgol Grits, which weather into rough screes formed of blocks of 

 stone that piovide shelter for rabbits from whence it would be ex- 

 tremely difficrdt to dislodge them. I am aware of three such isolated 

 colonies, two at 800—1000 feet, and the other at 1200—1600 feet. 

 From what I can gather, certain changes have taken place in the 

 local distribution of recent years : in two districts a reduction in 

 numbers is apparently due to persistent trapping, etc., but in another 

 to a severe outbreak of Coccidiosis {Eimeria stiedae), which disease I 

 have several times observed. I have not been able to obtain any 

 rabbits suffering from Liver Rot, but several farmers informed me that 

 during recent outbreaks they observed flukes in the livers of rabbits 



