OCTOBER 225 



to breed and finally die ' out ; the bucks themselves 

 finally dying in the natural course of things. Mr. 

 Rodier, therefore, about twenty years ago, enclosed the 

 whole of his land with wire-netting, caught alive all the 

 rabbits he could, killing the does and setting the bucks 

 at liberty. The rabbits killed themselves out. 'He 

 can now ride over the whole of his run and hardly see 

 a rabbit, while his neighbours' lands are still swarming 

 with them.' In the Field, January 15, 1903, was 

 given a photograph showing the luxuriant growth 

 within Mr. Rodier's enclosure, and the desolated country 

 outside. This plan may be commended to the Office 

 of Woods in relation to their newly acquired estate 

 in Argyllshire, where it is intended to start scientific 

 State forestry. 



Within the proper limits of a warren, rabbits are 

 desirable enough. The highest practical authority on 

 the management of warrens is Mr. Lloyd Price of 

 Rhiwlas. On a single day, in 1885, he and his party 

 shot 5086 rabbits; but that bag was exceeded at 

 Blenheim a few years later, when the almost incredible 

 number of 7000 were slain. Two points in manage- 

 ment seem to be essential to the healthiness of the 

 stock in a warren ; first, clean, dry food, which may be 

 secured by placing hay in low racks instead of laying 

 it to be trampled and fouled on the ground ; second, to 

 kill off nearly all the stock before Christmas, intro- 

 ducing fresh breeders after the ground has had a couple 

 of months' rest. Turnips should never be given as food, 

 for they cause the animals to die of dysentery. 



Naturally a timid, even a craven, animal, there are 

 p 



