144 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 16, 1877. 



J. E. Crofts. 2, G. S. Burton. Any other variety.— Cock or Hen.—l, B. Rawns- 

 ley. vhc, J. Oldfield (2), J. Thresh, G. S. Barton. Barbs— Cock or Ben.— I, W. 

 Rudd. 2, J. Thresh, vhc. J. E. Crofts. Antwerps — Cock or Hen.—l, W. 

 Firth. 2, T. Milner. vhc, W. Rudd, B. Rawnelev, W. Firth. Tl-rbits.— Cock 

 or Hen.—l, W. Bndd. 2. T. E. Hainsworth. vhc, W. Bndd, G. S. Burton, T. 

 Milner, B. Rawnsley. Fantails.— Cock or Hen— I and 2, T. E. Hainsworth. 

 Jacobins.— Cock or Hen.— I, J. E. Crofts. 2, G. S. Burton, vhc, B. Bawnsley 

 (2). Tbumpetebs.— Cock or Sen.— I, J. E. Crofts. Magpie oe Swallow.— 

 Cock or Hen.— \ and 2. J. E. Crofts. Wild.— 1 and 2, J. E. Crofts. Owls.— 1, 

 J. Thresh. 2, T. E. Hainsworth. Any othee Variety.— Cock or Hen.—l, J. 

 E. Crofts. 2, W. Bndd (2). 



RABBITS — Lop-eared.— Buck or Doe —1 and 2, R. Murgatroyd, Himalayan. 

 — Buck or Doe.— I, T. Hart. 2, R. Murgatroyd. Any othee Vaetety.— Buck 

 or Doe.—l, J. Firth. 1 and 2, — Burton. 2, W. Wailes. vhc, J. Firth, R. 

 Murgatroyd. Point Prize, J. E. Crofts. 



CATS.— Male or Female.— 1, S. A. Bell. 2, J. Cooper. 



Judge. — Mr. E. Hutton. 



THE LOP-EARED RABBIT. 



Thebe are several theories as to the origin of this the king of 

 the Rabbit tribe. The two most probable are, that it is a native 

 of Persia and has been imported into this country, and that 

 it is merely an improved strain of the common Prick-eared 

 Rabbit. "We are inclined to the former idea, although there is 

 no doubt that it has been greatly improved in this country, as 

 shown by the fact that a few years ago 22 inches across the ear 

 was considered excellent! and 23 impossible, and that now 23 



from tip to tip was at one time — not many years ago — thought 

 excellent, and anything over 21 very good. Now 22 and 22t are 

 thought decidedly good, and 23 and upwards first-rate. Twenty- 

 three and three-quarters and 23j are about the best lengths at 

 present being shown. We remember seeing at a show in the 

 neighbourhood of the Edgware Road, a gallant Lop 24 and, we 

 think, one-eighth, in length. The Rabbit was certainly a beauty, 

 but the measuring was a little strong, as the Rabbit, if shown 

 since, has certainly not been credited with such prodigiousness. 

 Still the length was, no doubt, 24 inches, and if we recollect 

 another was shown in the opposite corner of London about the 

 same length a few months afterwards. These figures show 

 plainly that very rapid strides have been made in this particular. 

 Length, however, is not all. Breadth must also be looked to, 

 and although an improvement has certainly taken place lately, no 

 such rapid strides have been taken as have been done in the 

 length. The quality of the flesh of the ear should be very fine 

 and thin. The outside of the sheets, for they can be called nothing 

 else, are covered with a meagre covering of short hair, but the 

 inside is quite devoid of hairiness, the skin being clean and 

 smooth, only disturbed by the veins which course down and in 

 which the pink of the blood can be plainly discerned. The fall or 

 carriage of the ear used to be a question of vaBt importance, as 

 indeed it is now, only that the enormous weight generally drags 

 them down into the correct position or something like it., t They 



Kg. 32.— The lop-eaeed babbit. 



and a fraction is common, and 24 has been managed two or 

 three times. 



The points of the Lop are very easily described, although they 

 are not so easily attained. We will take a full-grown specimen 

 and run through its points, afterwards dealing with colour and 

 markings. 



The body should be firm and strongly set, with a decided fall 

 at the shoulder and riEe at the hip, so that when an animal is 

 in a rec linin g position the hinder portions of the back are much 

 higher than the head. The '* carriage " of a Rabbit depends to a 

 great extent upon its deportment in this respect, a long-bodied 

 and flat-backed specimen being considered decidedly inferior. 

 The hind legs should be long and bony and nearly twice as long 

 as the front ones. These latter should in youthful animals be 

 straight and nearly parallel, although if they are a little bandied 

 in an old and well-fleshed specimen, it is, perhaps, not a great 

 drawback. The legs should, however, be straight when young 

 or not fleshy, any crookedness being a decided disadvantage. 



The head should be of good size and the forehead prominent, 

 the eyes Bet well apart, and the nose fairly pointed. The eye 

 should be firm, full, and well set. The colour will be dark, 

 brown, or blue, the latter being, perhaps, the most common. 



The ear is the most important organ of the Lop, and hence it 

 has been more or less tampered with from time to time — stretch- 

 ing, pulling, and working having been all called into use at one 

 time or another, but with very little effect. It is certain that if 

 the ears of a half-grown Rabbit be worked carefully and regu- 

 larly before a steady fire the effect will be to Blightly lengthen 

 them; but the best specimens shown are those that have long, 

 broad, and natural ears, and not long and narrow. The first point 

 of excellence is in the length. As already stated, 22 inches 



Bhould fall well from the roots, and be of equal declension on both 

 Bides. The inside of the ear should fall towards the cheek, leav- 

 ing the outside or the hairy portion only visible when standing 

 in front. The great length of the ears generally causes them to 

 drag a little on the ground, causing them to be drawn a little out 

 of the correct position and causing the ends to be bent back. The 

 chest of a good well-conditioned Lop is full and prominent, some- 

 thing like that of a Pouter cock, and the skin being loose and so 

 full of fat that it causes a perfect resting place for the chin, and 

 adds materially to the animal's appearance. It is called the 

 dewlap. It seldom makes its appearance till after the Rabbit is 

 a twelvemonth old, or quite full-grown. Other positions of the 

 ear beside the full lop used to be known and to give trouble, 

 including the horn lop, in which case the ears fell over the face 

 in a most unsightly manner, almost blinding the animal and 

 preEenting anything but a pretty appearance. Scarcity generally 

 conduces to value, but in this case, although the appearance 

 was very rare, it has never been liked. Another appearance 

 was the half-lop, which was divided into two kinds, and one in 

 which the ears both fell on one side of the neck, and the other 

 in which one ear fell and the other stood erect. Another 

 position was the oar-lop, in which case the muscles of the ears 

 were too strong to allow them to fall, and then stood out on 

 either side of the head like the oars of a boat. This laEt form 

 was very common, and is often found in bucks of considerable 

 physical power. 



Colour is an important feature of the Lop. If a self-colour, it 

 is purely a question of taste whether black, blue, grey, fawn, or 

 white is liked the best. Grey used to be disliked very much, 

 but fanciers are not so fastidious now-a-days, and if a Rabbit's 

 points are otherwise good, a little fall-off in the respect of taste 



