MAMMALIA 



255 



important matter. Their value as food is considerable, however, so 

 that it is often better and cheaper to protect the crops then to try to 

 destroy the rabbits. 



In many sections they are so reduced in numbers by hunters that 

 no further efforts are necessary to handle the problem. In the west 

 where the tall, long-legged jack rabbits abound they are sometimes 

 rounded up and killed by the thousands in rabbit drives, by men on 

 horseback aided by dogs. In some States they are protected by law 

 except during a certain brief open season and in a few cases a farmer 



PIG. 161. Cottontail rabbit, Sylvilagus sp., in its "form." 



Lantz, Cottontail Rabbits in Relation to Trees and Farm Crops.) 



(From 



cannot kill them on his own lands even though they may be seriously 

 damaging his crops. In other States they may be killed at any time. 



It is usually only where they have, for some reason, become exceed- 

 ingly numerous that they are a serious pest. The best known illustra- 

 tion of a serious rabbit pest is seen in Australia, where in a few years 

 they overran the country and were a terrible plague. In a single drive 

 in Australia from 10,000 to 20,000 rabbits have been killed. 



Besides the use of dog and gun there are various methods of reducing 

 the numbers of rabbits. One of those is by the use of traps, which are of 



