8o THE RABBIT 



to the Committee appointed by the Board of Agri- 

 culture to inquire into the plague of field voles in 

 Scotland, in 1892. In the Minutes of Evidence ap- 

 pended to the Report of this Committee, issued in 

 1893, will be found numerous statements, elicited by 

 cross-examination of the witnesses, which tend to 

 prove beyond doubt that the weasel is the natural 

 enemy of field mice, and that no greater mistake 

 could be made than to destroy the former where the 

 latter are numerous, or threatening to become so. 

 The field mice did incalculable mischief in Scotland 

 by eating up the grass on the sheep runs, thereby 

 causing the sheep to starve, and consequently to 

 depreciate in value, while the failure of lambs was so 

 serious as to cause heavy loss to the farmers. It is 

 easy to foresee what would be the effect in a rabbit 

 warren if it were to be similarly over-run by field 

 mice, and there were no weasels to keep them in 

 check. 



From a huntsman's point of view, of course, foxes 

 are best left alone — that is, if the warren is in a hunt- 

 ing country. They must eat to live, and being fond 

 of rabbits, they will take these where they can get 

 them easily, and pay the less attention to pheasants and 

 other game. Should the warren, however, happen to 

 be situated in sandhills near the sea, on unrideable 



