SILVER-TIPPED BREEDING. 187 



terraneous city, is less effeminate than his kindred, 

 who roam more at large. His fur is most esteemed, 

 and after him comes the parker, whose favourite 

 haunt is a gentleman's pleasure grounds, where he 

 usually breeds in great numbers, and not unfre- 

 quently drives the hares away. The hedgehog is 

 a sort of vagabond rabbit, who travels tinker-like 

 throughout the country, and who would be better 

 clad if he remained more at home. Sweethearts are 

 tame rabbits, and their fur, though sleek, is too 

 silky and soft to be of much use in the important 

 branch of hat-making." I believe I have had Essex 

 and Lincolnshire marsh hares equal to, if not above, 

 the weight which seems to have so surprised our 

 connoisseur. 



I have heard, or read somewhere, of a peculiar 

 breed of Lincolnshire rabbits, styled the silver-tipped, 

 having the fur of a dark or lighter grey, mixed with 

 longer hairs tipped with white. Numbers of this 

 description may be seen in the vicinity of the metro- 

 polis, where they were bred without any knowledge 

 in the breeders of their Lincolnshire origin. Their 

 skins, of no extra value here, are said to be in de- 

 mand for exportation to Russia and China, and 

 thence brought up in large quantities by the fur 

 merchants for exportation. 



BREEDING. The DOE will breed at the age of six 

 months, and her period of GESTATION is thirty or 

 thirty-one days. It should be premised, that the 

 buck and doe are by no means to BE LEFT TOGE- 

 THER ; but their union having been successful, the 

 buck must be immediately withdrawn, and the doe 



