13-4 DOMESTIC RABBITS : Chap. IV 



I have previously remarked that, if we had possessed manj 

 domestic rabbits of the same average size with the wild rabbit, it 

 would have been easy to compare the capacity of their skulls. Now 

 the Himalayan, Moscow, and Angora rabbits (Nos. 11, 1-2, 13 of 

 Table) are only a little larger m body and have skulls only a little 

 longer, than the wild animal, and we see that the actual capacity of 

 their skulls is less than in the wild animal, and considerably less by 

 calculation (coliunn 7), according to the difference in the length of 

 their skulls. The narrowness of the brain-case in these thi-ee rabbits 

 could be plainly seen and proved by external measurement. The 

 Chinchilla rabbit (No. 14) is a considerably larger animal than the 

 wild rabbit, yet the capacity of its skull only slightly exceeds that of 

 the wild rabbit. The Angora rabbit, No. 13, offers the most remark- 

 able case ; this animal iu its pure white colour and length of silky 

 fur bears the stamp of long domesticity. It has a considerably 

 longer iicad and body than the wild rabbit, but the act\;al capacity 

 of its skull is less than that of even the little wild Porto Santo 

 rabbits. By the standard of the length of skull the capacity (see 

 column 7) is only half of what it ought to have been ! I kept this 

 individual animal alive, and it was not unhealthy nor idiotic. This 

 ease of the Angora rabbit so much surprised me, that I repeated all 

 the measurements and found them correct. I have also comijared 

 the capacity of the skull of the Angora with that of the wild rabbit 

 by other standards, namely, by the length and weight of the body, 

 aud by the weight of the limb-bones ; but by all these standards 

 the brain appears to be much too small, though in a less degi-ee when 

 the standard of the limb-bones was used ; and this latter circum- 

 btarce may probably be accounted for by the limbs of this anciently 

 domesticated breed having become much reduced in weight, from its 

 loug-continued inactive life. Hence I infer that in the Angora 

 breed, which is said to differ from other breeds in being quieter and 

 more social, the capacity of the skull has really undergjne a remark- 

 able amount of reduction. 



From the several facts above given, — namely, firstly, that 

 the actual capacity of the skull in the Himalayan, Moscow, 

 and Angora breeds, is less than in thr wild rabbit, though 

 they are in all their dimensions ratner larger animals ; 

 secondly, that the capacity of the skull of the large lop-eared 

 rabbits has not been increased in nearly the same ratio as the 

 capacity of the skull of the smaller wild rabbits has been 



brain of a hare which weighed 7 lbs., in shot is in my table 972 grains; 



And 125 grains as the weight of the and according to Dr.. Crisp's ratio of 



brain of a rabbit which weighed 3 lbs. 125 to 210, the skull of the hare 



5 oz., that is, the same weight as the ought to have contained 1632 grains 



libbit No. 1 in my list. Now the of shot, instead of only (in the largest 



contents of the skull of rabbit No. 1 hare in my table) 1455 grains. 



