FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



233 



IJmt and $roatt i*t gnrartmiirt. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



A SHORT EXPERIENCE WITH RABBITS. 



My passion for pets led me a short time ago to buy a 

 pair of Angora rabbits, partly for my own gratification, but 

 largely for the amusement of my children. I spent a day 

 in making hutches for them, and prided myself on having 

 made such as were comfortable, convenient, and well adap- 

 ted to the wants of the pets. I thought I had read all the 

 cautions, and had thoroughly protected myself against both 

 cats and rats, and hoped by careful painstaking and close 

 attention to keep them in good health, and make them pro- 

 ductive. 



I have had them just three days. Imagine my mortifica- 

 tion when my family found both of them this cold March 

 morning lying outside of their hutches dead, the gates of 

 the hutches rudely and violently torn open, the wires of the 

 fronts twisted and bent, and the gates and roofs of the 

 hutches, gnawed almost through. 



What did it all ? Some stray cur, too thievish to come 

 around in the daytime to make his attack. I had made no 

 provision for protection against dogs, particularly that part 

 of the race which seems created for no purpose whatever, 

 unless it be to wander around at night, the embodiment of 

 all that is malicious and devilish, worrying cats and tear- 

 ing up flower-beds. 



I want the dog that did the mischief; I will pay more 

 for him than he is worth to any one else. I would like to 

 keep rabbits again ; I have a decided fancy for them ; but I 

 cannot do it as long as some one else owns that dog. I 

 promise, too, that if that dog gets into my possession, he 

 shall not worry any one else's rabbits. I have no spite 

 against him, that is, not in general, but I don't think he is 

 filling his proper place. If dogs have their sphere, it is 

 evident, that he either does not understand it, or at least is 

 not in his proper place, and it is well that he should, for 

 the public good know it, and the sooner the better. Had 

 he eaten my pets, I could reconcile myself to the loss, on 

 the ground of its being nature and instinct, to appease the 

 cravings of hunger ; but there is not the mark of a tooth 

 anywhere to be seen on them, showing that it was purely a 

 case of malice, as they were evidently frightened to death, 

 and then dragged from their hutches and left lying on the 

 ground close by. 



The point, however, which I wish to make in this article, 

 is one that I have not before seen noticed anywhere. It is 

 this : Unless you can protect yourself against the incursions 

 of dogs, particularly at night, it is useless to think of at- 

 tempting to keep rabbits. Closing up the hutches carefully 

 at night will not prevent their death, for they are almost as 

 liable to die of fright or excitement, as they are from the 

 wounds of an enemy. To those, therefore, who propose 

 keeping rabbits, either as pets, or for profit, it is well to 

 give this word of caution : Protect yourself not only against 

 cats and rats, but against dogs as well. A. N. K. 



Lock Haven, Pa. 



8@°" A Nimrod in Adams County, Pa., reports that during 

 the last hunting season he shot 124 gray squirrels, 9 rabbits, 

 2 ground hogs, 12 pheasants, and 6 crows, also a very large 

 black snake ; and at another time three very large copper- 

 head snakes at one shot. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



THE BLACK MARTIN. 



Mr. Editor. 



In No. 8, page 123, of the Journal I find a few questions 

 in regard to the Black Martin which seem to be exactly 

 what I would have been glad to know last spring, while 

 building several bird-houses, which I intended to be free to 

 any or all of the little feathered visitors that might choose 

 to gladden our home with their songs during the summer. 



In the first place I set up a pole twenty feet high, on top 

 of which I placed a two-room rustic bird-house. In less 

 than an hour three or four pairs of common Swallows wore 

 quarreling for possession, and did some terrible fighting. 

 At last, after two or three days, all but two pairs left. 

 These remaining pairs continued the conflict until but one 

 pair remained. I watched these as they began building 

 their nest at once. I had supposed that the partition be- 

 tween the rooms was so made that the birds could not pass 

 from room to room without coming outside, but in this I 

 was mistaken, as they would enter one door and come out of 

 the other while at work. On finishing their nest they 

 closed up one door completely with mud, straw, &c. This 

 satisfied me that where the partitions between the different 

 rooms are not completely closed, only one pair of birds will 

 occupy one bird-house. In a few days the Swallows were 

 sitting; but one morning they were surprised by a swarm 

 of Black Martins, who seemed determined to drive out the 

 occupants; but the Swallows were game to the last, and 

 finally held possession, while the Martins, perched upon the 

 surrounding buildings, chattered over their defeat. As Mar- 

 tins were what I wanted, I put up a six-room bird-house 

 down in the garden. It was hardly up before it was known 

 to all the Martins in town, who came flocking to view the 

 premises, and seemed generally satisfied. My neighbor 

 Burt, just over the fence, as he stood leaning on his hoe, 

 watching me, told me that he thought I had them. I 

 thought so too, hopefully watching and expecting to see 

 them busy carrying housekeeping material ; but not a thing 

 would they carry, but kept up a continuous clatter, and 

 from early dawn till dark we all enjoyed their social songs. 

 All at once away they went. They had hardly left before 

 a pair of common Brown Wrens quietly took possession 

 and, without any ceremony, began building a nest. It took 

 about four days to finish, and I suppose they had begun to 

 lay, but, like the Swallows, they too had an assault from 

 the Martins (two pairs of them). I expected, of course, to 

 see the Wrens eaten up, but they cleaned out the Martins 

 in less than fifteen minutes. So my Martins were gone 

 again ; but, in about half an hour, back they came, flanked 

 by six pairs more (now eight pairs in all), and with one 

 swoop down they come on those poor Wrens, as I supposed ; 

 but they did not need one bit of sympathy from any one, for 

 they so completely routed the whole army of Martins that 

 they reminded me of Don Quixote when he assaulted the 

 windmill ; and notwithstanding my repeated loss of the 

 Martins, I will say right here that I believe that the little 

 Brown Wren will whip more pounds of bird of any kind 

 than it weighs grains. But to my subject. After the Mar- 

 tins had gone again the Bluebirds took up their abode in 

 part of the house occupied by the Wrens. They had soon 

 completely finished their nests and were hatching when they 

 too had a visit from the Martins, but, as usual, our old 

 friends were defeated, and they sat gossiping about it all 

 around on the housetops. 



