288 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



so as not to be wet, relished with the morning meal, and a 

 few sound heavy oats ; for the mid-day meal some kind of 

 green food, of which I prefer plantains, water-cress, carrot 

 tops or roots, parsley, dandelions, chicory, comfrey, 

 broccoli or cauliflower leaves to any other, as I think the 

 less of water-producing food given to Peruvians the better, 

 it being desirable their long coats should be kept as dry 

 as possible. 



For the same reason I prefer longish straw for the 

 bedding of their hutches, to hay, peat, sawdust, or other 

 materials. 



At night, I advise, in addition to a little hay as 

 mentioned, a mixture of a little bran with some kind of 

 meal, either oat, barley or rice, but with an occasional 

 change, made moist enough to stick together but not wet. 



Ringing the changes on the various items named, I 

 think the little creatures, if kept scrupulously clean, which 

 I take as a matter of course, will be found to do fairly 

 well. 



In the matter of hutches or pens, this variety is not 

 inclined to take much exercise, and each specimen intended 

 for show should have a hutch to itself, on account of the 

 propensity I mentioned to nibble each other's coats, and 

 I have found the show pens, which can be obtained of any 

 of the contractors for penning at shows, in blocks of 

 six each, only requiring boarding of the same length and 

 a little greater width to stand them on, make the best pens 

 for exhibition stock. 



I think it best not to attempt to show and breed with 

 the same animals, at anyrate more particularly the sows, 



