THE DUTCH RABBIT 85 



I am not averse to a deep slate blue, of which 

 I have owned and seen many beautiful specimens 

 at different times, and it is not wise to mate two 

 of this colour together, but better results are obtained 

 when one of the parents, I prefer the buck for choice, 

 is a black. 



When I can get a steel grey, pretty even in colour, 

 without any shadings to speak of, I like it very much ; 

 it may be my fancy, but I have the idea these are 

 apt to run rather heavier than the other colours, and 

 look rather cobbier in shape. 



I think the tortoiseshells are the least common of all 

 the colours, and are often the result of mating a black 

 buck with a yellow doe, but it is found that if there are 

 also yellow in the litter, they will be of richer and deeper 

 colours than if the parents had been two yellows. 



In the same way the blacks in a litter, resulting from 

 the union of a blue buck with a black doe, will be found 

 to be a better and deeper hue, than from two black 

 parents, and not so often with the white hairs in the 

 black, which are such a trouble to get rid of. 



I suppose there have been more disqualifications of 

 Dutch for trimming, etc., than all the other varieties 

 together, and as the markings and the size and shape 

 are the main points in them, a very thin line often 

 separates the first four in a good class. 



The appended illustrations of high-class specimens 

 taken from life, will convey more idea of what Dutch 

 should be like than any amount of writing by me, 

 so that I will merely give a brief description of the 



