CUBDOM. 63 



in which she had laid up her cubs, hterally 

 surrounded by rabbits of all sizes, some not much 

 larger than rats, within a few feet of her, grazing 

 away quite happily, whilst she took not the very 

 sliehtest notice of them. This was close to the 

 shore of Lough Derg and in a very lonely spot. 

 Presently the vixen trotted off and commenced 

 searching for food amongst the rocks and 

 sedges by the shore of the lake, returning with 

 what looked like a moorhen in her mouth, which 

 she at once took into the earth to the cubs. 

 What struck me particularly was that the 

 rabbits close to and actually in the same 

 earth with the cubs took no notice whatever 

 of the vixen, hardly troubling to get out of 

 her way even, evidently having been left 

 entirely unmolested by her, whilst those at a 

 distance made themselves scarce the instant 

 she approached. 



I have never known two vixens lay up their 

 cubs in the same earth, but have frequently 

 known them shift into the same earth soon 

 after doing so, or one vixen to shift into an 

 earth where another had already laid up her 

 cubs. The cubs of both litters get on splendidly 

 together, and the vixens both suckle and feed 



