THE RABBIT. 245 



they eat and by so defiling the land that sheep will 

 not graze after them, but by bringing about an 

 entire change in the flora of their habitat. Where 

 rabbits flourish the grass soon dies, and its place is 

 taken by thistles, nettles, and other weeds which 

 are very difficult to displace. The areas of useless 

 sand-grass found in some localities are probably 

 due to rabbits, the more useful growths that once 

 clothed these areas having been killed off, so that 

 the coarser, hardier growths finally took possession. 

 On sandy hillsides the rabbits do considerable 

 damage by casting up vast mounds of unfertile 

 earth, and thus burying the fertile surface. The 

 steep hillsides of the Tweed valley furnish examples 

 of this on an extensive scale. Passing along this 

 valley, particularly in the vicinity of Peebles, one 

 is struck by the patched and mottled appear- 

 ances of the hillsides, every second pasture on the 

 steep slopes being dotted with yellow patches 

 which catch the sunlight and stand out conspicu- 

 ously against the background of green. 



Farmers do not generally realise the full extent 

 of the damage done by rabbits on their property. 

 It is customary to let the shooting, if in the 

 farmer's own hands, and the rent received for 

 it is supposed to compensate for the damage 

 done. On the many rabbit-shoots I myself have 

 rented, however, it would, on almost every occasion, 

 have been possible, had one cared to work, to 

 pay the rent by selling the rabbits killed at 

 sevenpence per head. Those rabbits cost the 

 farmer more than sevenpence each to rear, and 

 by letting the shooting he was by no means 

 assured that the work of extermination would 

 be thoroughly done. I do not mean to infer that 

 farmers would be well advised to increase the 



