PET ANIMALS. 353 



toes, either boiled or roasted, may be given amongst other food, 

 but never when raw, as they are then unwholesome. When a doe 

 has a litter by her side, it is a good plan to soak the split or whole 

 grey peas for a few hours before they are put into the trough, and 

 if peas are given to recently- weaned rabbits, they should be also 

 soaked. Although we recommend the food to be given in such 

 quantities only as the animals can eat in a few hours, yet when a 

 doe is about to litter, she may have somewhat more allowed her ; 

 when she suckles, also, a greater quantity of food must be given 

 to her, as she will then eat twice as much as at other times. As 

 soon as the young ones begin to nibble, they must be supplied with 

 a liberal allowance of food, three times a day, punctually. If the 

 aim is to fatten rabbits for the table, the best age to put them up 

 for that purpose, is from five to eight months, and the kind of food 

 most suitable (and on this subject various opinions are held) is barley- 

 meal, oatmeal, or split peas, or a mixture of them, with the addition 

 of a little sweet hay. A tablespoonful of water a day may be added, 

 and a small quantity of carrot-tops, sweet marjoram, parsley, and 

 basil, may also be given daily, with advantage. The more the food 

 of those put up for fattening is varied, the sooner the end will be 

 attained ; but when the animals are once full- fat, as the breeders 

 express it, they often pine away and lose their plumpness. Practice, 

 alone, will regulate the exact quantity of food each rabbit should be 

 allowed, as no precise rules can be laid down for the purpose. If 

 they can be allowed to disport in a yard for an hour or two, in fine 

 weather, it will add much to their general condition and health ; of 

 course, too much freedom and exercise must not be permitted, as 

 that would militate against their speedily becoming plump and fit 

 for table. 



The most careful and regular attention should be paid to the feeding 

 of all pet animals, for it is very cruel to neglect those poor little 

 things, whose existence depends upon the supply of food afforded to 

 them, and which if perishing from lack of nourishment, cannot escape 

 from their captivity to seek a kinder home elsewhere. 



FANCY BABBITS. 



The fancy in rabbits is very changeable ; some years ago, a fine 

 common rabbit of two colours was esteemed a fancy one, but now, 

 -a rabbit must possess certain properties, many of which are never 

 found in the common kinds, before it can be classed as a fancy 

 specimen ; these properties consist in a perfectly symmetrical shape, 

 good arrangement of colours, full dew- lap, and a peculiar position of 

 the ears. In addition to a perfect shape, a rabbit must have what ia 

 termed a u good carriage" that is, its back should be finely arched, 

 and its head held so low, that its muzzle and the tips of its ears 

 may almost touch the ground. Many fancy rabbits have their 

 fore-legs bent inwards, but this, although it appears a deformity, 

 is not considered of any importance, neither does it lessen the value. 



The correct arrangement of colours is a very important point, and 

 rabbits are divided into three varieties, distinguished by the colours 



