THE RABBIT 171 



scratching their bodies raw, and if able to get at 

 the Rabbit's head gnaw or scratch its eyes out. 

 More often than not these poor brutes are left to 

 die a lingering death. I have frequently heard of 

 Rabbits that have been worried by Ferrets having 

 emaciated bodies, this being evidence of the suffer- 

 ing they must have gone through. 



Strange to say. Rabbits that have been mauled 

 by a Ferret seldom recover, although injuries from 

 traps rarely prove fatal. 



The Rabbit is an easy animal to trap compared 

 with most wild animals, but still in many respects 

 he has a good idea of taking care of himself. 

 When bolted by Ferrets the way in which he will 

 take advantage of every bush, tree, or other cover, 

 by placing it between himself and the gun until 

 well out of range, has often struck me as being very 

 smart. I have repeatedly heard of Rabbits being 

 bolted when, perhaps, there was no other cover but 

 one small tree, the stem or trunk of which he 

 would get behind and take such a line that he could 

 not be seen by the would-be shooter until well out 

 of shot. I have known of hundreds of lives being 

 saved in this way. 



On the approach of man or other enemies 

 Bunny's danger signal is thumping the ground 

 with his hind legs, which puts his less watchful 

 companions on the alert. 



As already stated, his most dreaded natural 



