122 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



food to us, they are devoured also by animals of prey of 

 almost every description, which make dreadful havoc 

 among them. 



"Yet, notwithstanding this, in the time of the Romans 

 they once proved such a nuisance in the Balearic Isles, 

 that the inhabitants were obliged to implore the assistance 

 of a military force from Augustus to exterminate them." 



The following account appears in Andersorfs 

 Recreations of Agriculture, of the regular production of 

 a singular variety of the rabbit with only one ear : 



" A gentleman of my acquaintance chanced to find a 

 rabbit among his breed that had only one ear. He watched 

 the progeny of that creature, and among them he found 

 one of the opposite sex that had only one ear also ; he 

 paired these two rabbits together, and has now a breed of 

 rabbits one eared, which propagate as fast and as 

 constantly produce their like as the two-eared rabbit y 

 from which they were originally descended." 



From the following account, given by a gentleman 

 who amused himself with raising rabbits, it will appear 

 that they have some idea of subordination : 



" I began with only one male and one female, the 

 former white, the latter grey, and of their produce, which 

 was very numerous, the greater part were grey, a good 

 number of them white, and of a mixed colour, and some 

 few black. 



"These animals seem to have a great respect for 

 paternal authority, at least I judge so from the great 

 deference which all my rabbits showed for their first 

 ancestor, whom I can always easily distinguish by his 



