50 THE RABBIT 



Tcenia serrata. These hydatids, which, as above 

 stated, are produced from the minute eggs of the 

 tape-worm voided by the dog and swallowed with 

 herbage by the rabbit, cause the emaciation and 

 ultimately the death of the unfortunate animal they 

 infest. 



Those who may desire to pursue this subject 

 further should consult a paper, by Dr. C. W. Stiles, 

 ' On the Tape-worms of Hares and Rabbits,' printed 

 in the 'Proceedings of the United States National 

 Museum' (vol. xix. 1896, pp. 145-235), in which will 

 be found two plates illustrating tape-worms of the 

 rabbit. Dr. T. S. Palmer, in a Report on the Rabbits of 

 the United States, observes : ^ ' Many persons have a 

 prejudice against eating rabbits because at certain 

 seasons they are infested with parasites, or because the 

 flesh is supposed to be " strong." This prejudice, how- 

 ever, is entirely unfounded. The parasites of the rabbit 

 are not injurious to man ; furthermore, the ticks and 

 warbles occur at a season when the rabbit should not 

 be killed for game, while the tape-worm can only 

 develop in certain of the lower animals, as, for ex- 

 ample, in the dog.' 



> U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bulletin No. 8 (1896). 



