PET AKIMALS. 



35o 



must always be like the very darkest tints of the fur on the body, 

 if darker, so much the better, and of course, perfectly free from white 

 markings, for if any light spots break the beautiful tone of colour, 

 they produce a piebald appearance, which is a great defect. Fanciers 

 reckon three grades between the common up-eared rabbit and the flat 

 or perfect lop ; these varieties are the half-lop, the forward or horn- 

 lop, and the oar-lop. 



It being one of the most 

 important points, with regard 

 to the ears of the fancy rabbit, 

 that they should correspond 

 exactly with each other, not 

 only in shape, but in direc- 

 tion, the HALF LOP from its 

 having one ear upright, and 

 the otherpointing do wn wards, 

 is the least in estimation, even 

 if it is well-shaped and beau- 

 tifully marked. However, as 



animals of this variety are generally very well-bred, if their colours 

 and shape tally with the rules, they may be kept for breeding with 

 advantage, as they not unfrequently throw first-rate lops. 



A rabbit is termed HOKN- 

 LOPPED when its ears descend 

 obliquely forward, from the 

 side of the head, and project 

 out far beyond the nose. This 

 peculiar carriage of the ears 

 is held in rather more estima- 

 tion by some fanciers than the 

 preceding, and it is worthy of 

 notice, that almost all horn- 

 lops occasionally raise one ear 

 upright, and so resemble the half-lops. 



The next style of carrying 

 the ears is that of spreading 

 them out horizontally on each 

 side, and from the appearance 

 they present when thus ex- 

 tended, the rabbit is termed 

 an OAR- LOP ; and such animals 

 are considered very valuable, 

 if correct in their different 

 properties. Many of the best 

 bred bucks are oar-lopped, and the same may be said of numbers of 

 excellent does ; for a good rabbit of the perfect lop kind, often car- 

 ries one ear correctly, and elevates the other almost enough to 

 entitle it to be classed amongst the oar-lops. 



