DOMESTIC AND SEMI-DOMESTIC ANIMALS 39 



a mass of soft, silky hair — requires a great deal of attention, 

 especially if the owner desires to keep his pet in good trim for show 

 purposes. 



Another favourite to-day is the English Rabbit, which appears 

 to be a new name for an old variety that used to be known as the 

 Spotted Butterfly. Mr. Lane says that after the Wild Rabbit and the 

 Lop, it is probably the oldest variety of the family with a strictly 

 British origin. This Rabbit is of medium size, white in colour, with 

 prescribed black markings, "comprising a mark much like a Butterfly 

 on the nose, hence its old name, a trace down the back and chains of 

 spots from sides of neck, connecting with markings on sides and 

 back markings, forming a sort of saddle." Another kind of Rabbit 

 known as the Patagonian does not appear to have any relation with 

 that far-off country more associated with the Sloth, for we find that 

 most of those imported into England hail from the Continent. It 

 resembles the Flemish Giant already mentioned. Then there is the 

 Siberian Rabbit, which is in no way connected with Russia, the 

 opinion among fanciers being that it is a cross between the Angora 

 and the Himalayan. 



The Japanese is somewhat like the Dutch Rabbit, a variety to 

 which more attention might be devoted by fanciers, and it only 

 remains to mention two more varieties, namely, the Black and Tan, 

 and the Blue and Tan, to complete our list of those kinds on which 

 "the fancy" mostly concentrate their attention at the present day. 



Before passing to the Cavies, it is interesting to note that the 

 pure Wild Rabbit makes a nice pet if obtained when quite young, 

 and the same may be said of a Leveret, or young Hare. I kept one 

 of the first-named for some time and endeavoured to write its auto- 

 biography in my book Animals at Home, to which the reader is 

 referred for fuller details. One point that struck me particularly 

 with regard to this Rabbit — which was permitted to run about at 

 will in the garden and became very tame — was its preference, among 

 greenstuff grown in the garden, for the leaves of the Golden Rod 

 (Solidago). If the leaves of this showy garden plant were mixed up 

 with others the little Wild Rabbit would invariably pick them out 

 from the rest and make short work of them. 



As the little stranger from the woods came to grow up he sud- 

 denly evinced habits which seemed to be a sort of call from the wild, 

 and so it came about that one fine evening I carried my pet to a 

 spinney where Brer Rabbit holds undisputed sway and set him free. 



