174 THE WILD GAEDEN. 



anything that can be masticated and swallowed. Rabl)its, as a rule, 

 prefer to nibble over a pasture that contains short, sweet, wholesome 

 grass, and a proportion of clover, dandelion, and daisies, but in and 

 about woods where rabbits are numerous, the grass, from Ijeing closely 

 and constantly eaten off, gradually disappears, and at the approach of 

 winter is succeeded by moss, a very cold, watery, and innutritions 

 substitute ; then rabbits are diiven to seek food from other sources 

 than grass, and the bark of small trees, the leaves, stalks, and bark of 

 shrubs, and the protruding roots of forest trees, are eaten almost indis- 

 criminately. Amongst evergreen shrubs, rhododendrons and box are 

 generally avoided, but I have known newly-planted hybrid rhodo- 

 dendrons to be partly eaten l)y rabbits. The elder is distasteful, and 

 American azaleas are avoided. I have frecpiently seen Yew trees 

 barked ; mahonias are devoured in these woods as soon as planted ; 

 and periwinkle, which is named amongst ral)bit-proof plants, is generally 

 eaten to the ground in severe weather. Some of the bulbs and flower- 

 ing plants named l)y your correspondent may well escape in winter, 

 because they are not seen above ground, and where they grow, other 

 more agreeable herbage appears, so their immunity consists in being 

 inaccessible in a hungry time. Wliere rabbits are permitted, the fact 

 that they require food daily, like other creatures, should be recognised. 

 In the absence of wholesome food they will eat simply what they can 

 get. A certain portion of grass land should be retained for them and 

 managed accordingly ; a few acres might be wired round, or, to be 

 more explicit, surrounded with wire-netting, to the exclusion of rabbits, 

 until the apju'oach of wintry weather, when it could l)e thrown open 

 for them. If this cannot be done, and frosty weatlier sets in, when 

 the mischief to shrubs is consummate<l, trimmings of quick hedges 

 should be scattered about, and an allowance of turnips, carrots, or 

 mangold wurzel made and doled out daily in bad weather. In my 

 experience rabbits prefer newly planted trees and shrubs to those 

 established. I have even had the fronds of newly-planted Athyrium 

 Filix-fcomina eaten, while other ferns have been untouched. There is 

 one hint I may give your rabbit-preserving readers : certain breeds of 

 wild rabbits are much more prone to bark trees than others. The 

 barking of trees is an acquired propensity more common to north- 

 country rabbits than others. I should advise the destruction of those 

 rabbits whose propensity for shrubs is very marked, and try warren or 

 common rabbits from the south of England ; Imt the best advice I can 

 give is to have no rabbits at all. — J. S. 



