124 PROTECTION OF AFFORESTED AREAS 



reach. This habit can be easily seen in the case of 

 trees standing in or on the edge of paddocks and grass 

 fields in this country. Sheep and goats both cause 

 damage in young plantations -the former owing 

 to their habit of bunching together and stampeding 

 when frightened ; the latter owing to its omni- 

 vorous propensities. The goat is considered to be 

 one of the most destructive of all domestic animals 

 in the forest. 



Fencing of the young plantations will be neces- 

 sary in localities where domestic animals of these 

 classes are numerous, and are subject to being moved 

 about the country at certain seasons of the year in 

 herds or droves, and the adequate supervision of the 

 animals whilst in transit must be enforced by law. 

 From, roughly speaking, the twenty-fifth to thirty- 

 fifth year onward, the danger from these animals, 

 with the exception of the horse, ceases. 



Game animals will be alluded to later. 



PROTECTION AGAINST ANIMAL (MAMMAL) PESTS 



Amongst the foremost of the animal pests comes 

 the RABBIT. The damage caused is due to its habit 

 of gnawing the bark of young plants, an operation 

 which the formation of its dental system is admir- 

 ably adapted for. If you look at a rabbit's teeth, 

 you will see that the two middle ones in the upper 

 and lower jaw are prominent and have chisel- 

 shaped edges. Moreover, the pulp at their bases 

 does not dry up, as is the case with most teeth, but 

 persists throughout life, and the teeth consequently 

 continue to grow in length until the individual's 



