RABBITS 183 
shorts; and a supply should always be kept 
within their reach. 
Directions for breeding. Rabbits will mate 
and breed every two months or so. When the 
doe desires the buck, as the male rabbit is 
called, she will announce it by stamping with 
her feet and behaving restlessly. The period 
of gestation is four weeks, and when the young 
are about to be born the mother will tear fur 
from her breast and form a soft bed for them. 
She should then be given a hutch quite to her- 
self, and left undisturbed. Your curiosity will 
be great to see the little ones, but it is better 
to restrain it until, a fortnight later, they be- 
gin to be brought out for air. They mature 
rapidly, but should be left with the mother five 
or six weeks, unless she shows by fighting them 
away that she is weaning them earlier. The 
young should not be given as fresh, rich food 
as the old rabbits, but selected and somewhat 
dry and wilted food. The first litter is some- 
times lost, by bad mothering, but rarely a sec- 
ond or subsequent one. 
‘Rabbits are subject to various diseases, but 
these can usually be prevented by good care. 
