182 On the Rabbit as known to the Ancients. 



says, " have seen a great many in our voyage from Dicsearchia 

 (Puteoli) to Naples ; for there is an island, not far from the 

 mainland, opposite the lower side of Dicaearchia, inhabited by 

 only a very scanty population, and having a great number of 

 rabbits." (Deipnosoph. ix. 64.) 



Pliny says, " There is also a species of hare in Spain which 

 is called cuniculus ; it is extremely prolific, and produces 

 famine in the Balearic islands by destroying the harvests. 

 The young ones, either when cut from out of the body of the 

 mother, or taken from the breast without having the entrails 

 removed, are considered a most delicate food ; they are called 

 laurices. It is a well known fact that the inhabitants of the 

 Balearic islands begged of the late emperor Augustus the aid 

 of a number of soldiers to prevent the too rapid increase of 

 these animals. Ferrets ( Viverrce) are much prized on account 

 of their hunting these animals ; they are put into the burrows, 

 with their numerous outlets, which the rabbits form, and from 

 which circumstance they derive their name, and as the ferrets 

 drive them out they are taken above." (Nat. Hist. viii. 55.) 

 Pliny also mentions superfoetation as occurring in both the 

 hare and the rabbit. 



Martial says, rabbits first taught men how to undermine 

 enemies' towns — 



" Gaudet in effossis habitarc cuniculus antris, 

 Monstravit tacitas hostibus ille vias." 



(Ep. xiii. GO.) 



The Latin word cuniculus, it is well known, denotes both a 

 rabbit and an underground passage. Varro (De He Rust. iii. 

 12. §6) suggests that the rabbit derived its name from the 

 burrows it forms : " cuniculi dicti ab eo, quod sub terra cuni- 

 culos ipsi facere soleant ubi lateant in agris." J. G. Schneider 

 contends with much force that the word cuniculus is of Spanish 

 origin: "Animal ex Hispania allatum, Romani vetere His- 

 panico nomine appellarunt." iElian, it will be remembered, 

 says the same in distinct words. There was an ancient Spanish 

 nation called Cunei (Kouveoi), of which, according to Appian, 

 the chief town was K.ovlaTop<yi>;. I may mention that there 

 is a small island of the Balearic group, called Conejera, which 

 is abundantly stocked with rabbits : hence the Spanish name 

 (" a rabbit-warren "). 



Appius in Varro (/. c.) gives instructions how to form a 

 leporarium, and speaks of three kinds of hares, the cunicidus 

 being one of them. Two of these kinds he concludes he has 

 already in his leporarium ; " and since," he says to his veteran 

 friend Varro, " you have been so many years in Spain, I think 



