138 ANIMALS OF THE 



Rabbits of the domestic breed, like all other 

 animals that are under the protection of man, are 

 of various colours ; white, brown, black, and 

 mouse colour. The black are the most scarce ; 

 the brown, white, and mouse colour, are in greater 

 plenty. Most of the wild rabbits are of a brown, 

 and it is the colour which prevails among the 

 species ; for in every nest of rabbits, whether the 

 parents be black or white, there are some brown 

 ones found of the number. But in England 

 there are many warrens stocked with the mouse 

 coloured kinds, which some say came originally 

 from an island in the river Humber, and which 

 still continue their original colour, after a great 

 number of successive generations. A gentleman * 

 who bred up tame rabbits for his amusement, 

 gives the following account of their production : 

 " I began," says he, " by having but one male 

 and female only; the male was entirely white, 

 and the female brown; but, in their posterity, the 

 number of the brown by far exceeded those of 

 any other colour : there were some white, some 

 party-coloured, and some black. It is surprising 

 how much the descendants were obedient and 

 submissive to their common parent ; he was easily 

 distinguished from the rest by his superior white- 

 ness ; and, however numerous the other males 

 were, this kept them all in subjection. Whenever 

 they quarrelled among each other, either for their 

 females or provisions, as soon as he heard the 

 noise he ran up to them with all dispatch ; and, 



* M. Moutier, as quoted by M. Buffon. 



