CHAPTEE XII 



MAMMALIA 



Phylum VERTEBRATA 



Sub- Phylum CRANIATA Type 



Class MAMMALIA Lepus 



THE rabbit is a convenient and easily obtained type for 

 studying mammalian morphology and physiology. 



In the wild condition the common rabbit, Lepus cuniculus, 

 occupies burrows formed in suitable places and soil. It 

 ventures out from the warren to - some extent during the 

 day, but more regularly in the evening, to feed on grass 

 and other herbage, and it appears to have a preference for 

 hard fescue. In the winter, especially when the ground is 

 covered with snow, it may do damage by stripping the bark 

 from trees in plantations and by feeding on crops in fields 

 and gardens. Its burrows also are of importance in certain 

 situations. On the other hand, it is kept under by many 

 carnivorous enemies of the land and the air, and man takes 

 for his uses a large percentage. It is not merely utilised for 

 food, but the skins are valuable and the fur is employed in 

 the making of hats. 



Eabbits are liable to the attack of Coccidia, which produce 

 a white-spotted condition of the liver, sometimes mistaken for 

 tubercle. They are the intermediate hosts of Taenia serrata 

 and of Coenurus serialis. 



They reproduce with great rapidity. Several litters are 

 produced by the same doe in a year, and there are five to 

 seven young born each time. The young are born in a blind, 

 helpless condition. 1 



1 1898. J. E. Halting, The Rabbit. Fur, Feather, and Fin Series. 



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