THE SILVER GREY RABBIT, i , 



under a foster mother if sufficiently promising to keep 

 them all. 



They are rather shy at littering time, and are best 

 left alone as much as possible, as they are very inclined to 

 resent interference with their young, although as a rule 

 careful, affectionate mothers. 



It will be found better in the end not to breed from 

 the does until they are eleven or twelve months old, and 

 I should not advise putting the bucks at stud under ten 

 months, and if a little older it will be all the better. 



It is not a very early maturing variety. When born 

 they are a dull slate colour, which soon changes to almost 

 black, and they are seldom fit to show under six to eight 

 months, when they begin to get into form ; but it is not 

 often any of them can be shown in Young Classes, unless 

 restricted to their own variety, as they would have no 

 chance against Lops, Dutch, or some others, of the same age. 



My friend, Enoch Hutton, F.Z.S., who has had a life- 

 long experience as a fancier and judge, has written so 

 eulogistically of Silver Greys, in which I concur almost 

 entirely, except in the matter of the weight of the speci- 

 mens for show purposes, that I am tempted to give some 

 extracts from his views about them : 



" My leaning towards this class of Rabbit, over all 

 others, will no doubt lay me open to criticism when I 

 may be charged with a weakness for them ; but whether 

 this may be looked upon as a weakness, or only a due 

 appreciation of its grand properties, I leave others to 

 determine, but I will content myself by saying, that were 

 one each of all the fancy breeds placed before me, in com- 



