RODENTIA 3OI 



drives in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, in which 

 470,107 rabbits were killed. In California, 20,000 were killed in Tulare 

 County in one month, 70,000 altogether during the spring of 1888, 

 70,000 in Kern County and 40,000 in Fresno County. During a Grand 

 Army of the Republic drive in Fresno County in 1892, in which 8000 

 people were said to have participated, it was estimated that between 

 20,000 and 30,000 rabbits were killed. 35 In one drive 15,000 were killed 

 on a tract of about twenty square miles. 36 



Methods of destroying rabbits and of protecting crops, trees and 

 shrubbery therefrom, including the encouragement of their natural 

 enemies, the construction of rabbit-proof fences, etc., are discussed 

 in various publications mentioned in foregoing footnotes. From 1879 

 to 1888 New Zealand and Australia spent $5,323,315 in the destruc- 

 tion of rabbits and $468,468 in the construction of rabbit-proof 

 fences. 37 In 1887, 19,182,539 were destroyed in New Zealand alone. 38 



With higher prices and the increasing demand for furs, and the 

 consequent decreasing supply, rabbit skins have come into extensive 

 use, not only in the manufacture of felt hats and the like, but also for 

 fur clothing. New methods have been developed for preparing and 

 dyeing them, and they are sold under various trade names, not merely 

 as rabbit fur. As long ago as 1898 it was said that 15,000,000 rabbit 

 skins had been exported from New Zealand during the preceding five 

 years, and 200,000,000 since i873. 39 The following figures are given 

 of exports of such skins from Australasia prior to 1895:* 



Exported from Year Number Value 



New Zealand 1873-1884 180,037,562 $6,854,187 



Tasmania 1892-1894 31,912,182 1,083,098 



Victoria 1878-1893 68,637,990 1,989,177 



South Australia 1885-1894 335,5^4 



$10,262,046 



In 1921, Miss Laut said: "This year England has paid as high as 

 50 cents a pound and imported 90,000,000 rabbits. In the New York 

 auction sales, best Australian rabbit sold at from $1.40 to $3.i5/' 41 



85 Palmer, Jack rabbits of the United States, U. S. Biol. Surv. Bull No. 8, pp. 

 47-64, 1896. 



36 Forest and Stream, xxxvm, March 3, 1892, p. 197, cited by Palmer. 

 87 Palmer, U. S. Biol. Surv. Bull. No. 8, p. 44, 1896. 



38 Palmer, The danger of introducing noxious animals and birds, Yearbook U. S. 

 Dept. Agric. for 1898, p. 93. 



39 Palmer, Yearbook for 1898, p. 93. 



40 Palmer, U. S. Biol. Surv. Bull. No. 8, p. 70, 1896. 



41 Laut, The fur trade of America, p. 5, 1921 ; see also p. 84. 



