98 Keartland, Sovie Introduced Animals. [\\)i.'xxxvii, 



remarked that, no matter what colour the parents were, most 

 of the progeny were grey, so that by the time the old ones were 

 killed off none but grey rabbits were to be seen. About i860 

 efforts were made bv several persons to acclimatize wild rabbits 

 in various parts of the colony- My friend, Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, 

 in a paper published in the ]'ictorian Historical Mai^azinc for 

 September, 191J (vol. iii., p. 3O), quotes a paragraph from the 

 Richmond Australian of 31st December, i85(), which reads as 

 follows : — " The Lightning has brought an excellent addition 

 to the live stock of the colony — viz., b6 partridges, 4 hares, 

 and 24 ^^^ld rabbits. They are for Mr. Thomas Austin, of 

 Barwon Park." When the paper was read a gentleman present 

 corroborated the statement, and said he was present when 

 the rabbits were released. 1 remember reading in the papers 

 manv \ears ago about some rabbits sent to NVood's Point in 

 boxes on pack-horses, ond a W\\ months later the (at that time) 

 satisfactory news that the rabbits were breeding, as several 

 young had been seen. 



That the climate agreed willi tlic animals is evident from 

 the fact that in a short time they became a pest, and the various 

 Governments have been obliged to introduce legislation with 

 the view of their suppression. Notwitlistanding that millions 

 are trapped for export and home consumption annually, they 

 are as numerous as ever. They have spread over the whole 

 of habitable Australia in spite of poison, droughts, birds of prey, 

 dogs, fo.xcs, and rabbit-proof fences. .Xicording to recent 

 statistics, 30,000 are tised for weekly consumption in one 

 capital citv alone. They commence- to breed when four months 

 old, and have as many as seven litters in a year, bringing forth 

 from four to seven at a l)irth. 



TnK H.\KK. Hares were also introduced about i(S()o, both liy 

 tiie .\((limatization Society and by private gentlemen, aiul 

 wi-re protected by (iame Acts for some years. .\l)out 1870 

 coursing became popular, and where the owner of an i-state 

 could show that he had stocked the place witli hares lie had 

 the privilege of permitting coursing. It was not till 187 ; that 

 a sportsman c/)uld shoot a hare without incurring liability t<» 

 a prosecution. Xcnv they have Ix-conie so plentiful that 

 shooting parties often kill as many as eighty in a day. While 

 it is claimed in ICngland that tlie hare has but one young one 

 in a year, it is well known in Victoria that they breed four or 

 fiv(' times, and have four or ti\-e at a birth. This I have 

 proved l)y dissection. I.a^t year I caught a h'veret about a 

 month old. It was kept in a pen and fed •m lucerne. I luce 

 months later it was full grown. A recent price-list (;f Leaden- 

 hall Market in Land and Water quotes hares at 5s. each ; here 

 they may be bought for a shilling. 



