CAUTIONS WEAKNESS MR. BROWN. 189 



be not approached by the buck, or, indeed, by any 

 other rabbit ; as, from being harassed about, she 

 will almost certainly cast her young. One doe in a 

 thousand may DEVOUR her young ; the sign that she 

 ought to be otherwise disposed of. Some does admit 

 the buck with difficulty, although often apparently 

 in season ; such should be immediately fattened off, 

 since it can never be worth while to keep an objec- 

 tionable individual for breeding, of a stock to be 

 produced in such multitudes. Should the doe be 

 WEAK on her bringing forth, from cold caught, or 

 other cause, she will drink beer-caudle, as well as 

 any other lady; or warm fresh grains will comfort 

 her ; a malt mash ; scalded fine pollard, or barley- 

 meal, in which may be mixed a small quantity of 

 cordial horse-ball. 



Mr. Brown, of Banbury, who has published some 

 observations on the subject, believes, that what ap- 

 pears to be a propensity in the doe devouring her 

 young, is nothing more than a necessitous, though 

 truly unnatural act. That it is done to satiate the 

 thirst induced by the febrile state of parturition, 

 which thirst they, in consequence of their confine- 

 ment, have not the natural power to allay. Hence 

 the horrid alternative of sacrificing their young, an 

 extremity to which they are never driven in a state 

 of nature. 



Mr. B. observes, " I have had rabbits which have 

 been sold me cheap, in consequence of this seeming 

 proneness to eat their young, which I have entirely 

 avoided by allowing the animal some short time ante- 

 rior, at the time, and for a week or so after parturi- 



