168 A NEW ZEALAND NATURALIST'S CALENDAR. 



colour sports which arise. In Europe any rabbit which 

 departs from the normal colour becomes more or less 

 markedly conspicuous to its numerous enemies. Among 

 birds there are falcons, hawks, ravens, carrion crows, 

 &c. , by day, and owls by night, to pursue them ; while 

 foxes, stoats, and weasels prey on them constantly. The 

 slightest departure, therefore, from the dull gray in the 

 colour of their fur renders them more easily seen, and 

 thus such sports are constantly weeded out. But in New 

 Zealand there are very few enemies except man (an enemy 

 against whom natural selection is almost powerless), and 

 in consequence variously coloured rabbits black, buff, 

 and white are not rigidly suppressed. I was particularly 

 struck with this fact the last time I was in the Wanaka 

 district fancy-coloured rabbits seemed to be almost as 

 common as the greys. 



In pondering all such questions there are, of course, 

 other considerations to be taken into account besides the 

 single one of the enemies of the species. Perhaps grey 

 rabbits, as the most rigidly-selected form, are more hardy 

 or more fertile than other varieties we cannot tell ; all we 

 know is that our ignorance on such points is colossal, and 

 that we are apt to generalise on very insufficient data. 



If a Rip Van Winkle among naturalists could arise here, 

 one who had known the natural conditions in 1849, and if 

 he could be dropped down in Dunedin now, he would be 

 astounded at the changes which have taken place during the 

 interval in the aspect of Nature. A very large proportion 

 of the indigenous flora and fauna has disappeared. The 

 ferns and other delicate plants which formerly filled the 

 bush are nearly all gone dried up and exterminated. The 

 big trees have disappeared long ago. The undergrowth 

 consists very largely of European plants, the birds are 

 those of the old land, the whole face of Nature is altered. 

 I felt this very distinctly the other evening when walking 

 up a narrow valley among our southern hills. The hillsides 

 were ablaze with the golden bloom of the gorse, and the 

 air was heavy with its fragrance. As the sun went down 

 behind the western uplands lying beyond Lake Waihola 



