MAMMALS 307 



the common jack-rabbit, L. texanus, are the best known. 

 The cottontail is found all over the United States, but shows 

 some variation in the different regions. There are several 

 species of jack-rabbits, all limited to the plains and mountain 

 regions west of the Mississippi river. The food of rabbits is 

 strictly vegetable, consisting of succulent roots, branches, or 

 leaves. 



As long as they confine their feeding to wild plants, or even 

 to cultivated field crops, the damage that they do is usually 

 not great, although when very abundant they may materially 

 injure wheat or alfalfa fields. In the gardens, however, where 

 they will attack all kinds of vegetables, they sometimes cause 

 considerable annoyance, or even serious loss. Tree and shrubs 

 are often injured, especially in the winter time when the ground 

 is covered with snow and there is little other green food to be 

 had. The rabbits eat the ends of the branches within their 

 reach or gnaw the bark, sometimes girdling the tree. The most 

 satisfactory remedy, where the rabbits are abundant enough to 

 be a nuisance, is to allow hunters to kill them. Most rabbits 

 are of fine flavor, especially when young. The cotton-tails are 

 usually considered superior even to Belgian hares and other 

 domesticated species. In some regions where the country is 

 sufficiently open "rabbit drives" are organized, and as many 

 as 10,000 to 20,000 rabbits are killed in a single drive. 

 Various kinds of traps are used in the orchards and gardens, 

 and poisoning is sometimes resorted to, but the latter is always 

 dangerous. Rabbit-proof fences are effective and although 

 expensive are often profitable. Trees may be protected with 

 close meshed wire or by veneer, cornstalks, sacking or other 

 substances. Most of thepaints or smears usually recommended 

 to be put on the trees are apt to injure them. The sulphur- 

 lime mixture, such as is used for scale insects (see page 415) 

 has proved a very effective repellent wash in many places. 



Nearly fifty years ago the common rabbit of Europe was 

 introduced into Australia as a game animal. In the absence 

 of their natural enemies the rabbits multiplied so rapidly that 

 they soon became serious pests and have cost the country 

 millions of dollars, $3,500,000 being the estimated annual loss. 



