THE RABBIT 255 



upon the keeper that great care must be taken with the 

 fencing. This must be thoroughly carried out at the 

 beginning, and examined carefully afterwards, in case 

 any destruction may have been made by sheep or other 

 animal pasturing in ground approximate to the warren. 

 A single or a double strand of barbed wire outside of 

 the warren fence is useful to prevent such inroads. Wire- 

 netting must, of course, be turned over both top and 

 bottom, for rabbits are good climbers. It might be as 

 well that a single barbed wire be stretched across the 

 curve at the top. The points at which the wire-netting 

 is turned over must be strengthened by fairly thick wire, 

 to prevent bending. 



In summarising the facts to be remembered by 

 the keeper for the prosperity of his warren, we might 

 tabulate the following, which must receive his earnest 

 attention : 



(1) The proper food-supply of the warren. Where 



cut hay is supplied, care must be taken that 

 it is kept dry and healthy by some form of 

 covering. 



( 2 ) Thecarefulandhabitualrestockingof the ground. 



This must be done annually, with healthy 

 rabbits from other warrens, as rabbits breed 

 rapidly. Kill down stock in winter hard, 

 especially the ones that lay out, these being 

 generally the weak ones expelled from the 

 burrow by the stronger does and bucks, who 

 keep possession of the stronghold, these being 



