PET RABBITS, CAVIES, AND MICE. 39 



although its origin would seem to make hard such a 

 possibility, for there can be little doubt, from the ear 

 beading and shape of many Silver Browns, that the Sil- 

 ver Fawn and the Belgian Hare are largely responsible 

 for its origin. The composition of the fur colour of the 

 very often when Brown is bred to Brown, a Fawn 

 youngster is the result. And even the dark hairs found 

 at the roots of the ears of some Fawns is a suspicious 

 evidence of their parentage. The Silver Brown is a 

 rabbit that takes some breeding to get it to perfection. 

 It is not so popular as the Grey, but more fanciers are 

 taking it up, and it is an exceedingly attractive and 

 useful variety. Either it or the Fawn is a good table 

 rabbit. Barred or light striped (across) fore feet are 

 a great fault and a prevalent one in Silver Browns. 

 They require to be evenly silvered all over, neat in ear 

 (if you can get them), with good hind feet. Here there 

 is always a difficulty. Both Browns and Fawns fail in 

 hind feet more often than not. They are usually nearly 

 white on the insides a nasty fault. 



DUTCH. 



No doubt it will interest a few readers to know 

 something of the origin of the Dutch rabbit. It came 

 originally from Holland, where it is bred freely for 

 marketable purposes, or as we should put it in modern 

 phraseology for food supply. Those bred in Holland 

 for killing purposes, differ very much, of course, from 

 the specimens we see in English shows, being much 

 larger and longer in body, with long thin heads, and 

 lacking that perfection of marking and beauty of fur the 

 English exhibition specimen possesses. There are 

 many sub-divisions exhibited, and all are bred true to 

 shape and markings. It may be said that the one rule 

 as to shape and markings applies to all the colours. It 

 will be seen that the standard of points given explains 

 the importance of the several points of marking as 

 shown in our illustration. The most important part of 

 Dutch rabbit breeding is the selection of breeding stock. 

 On this the beginner will stand or fall. Indeed the 

 same remark applies to all varieties in some degree, but 

 more acutely to Dutch. Let him start right, and with 



