THE BABBIT. 



what colours the coat of a rabbit displays as it is that those 

 colours shall be arrauged ia a particular manner, forming im- 

 aginary figures or fancied resemblances to certain objects; 

 hence, the peculiarities of their markings have been denoted by 

 distinctive designations. What is termed ' the blue butterfly 

 smut' was, for some time, considered the most valuable of fancy 

 rabbits. It is thus named on account of having bluish or lead- 

 coloured spots on either side of the nose, having some resem- 

 blance to the spread-wings of a butterfly, what may be termed 

 the groundwork of the rabbit's face being white. A black and 

 white rabbit may also have the face marked in a similar manner, 

 constituting a ' black butterfly smut.' 



" But a good fancy rabbit must likewise have other marks, 

 without which it cannot be considered a perfect model of its 

 kind. There should be a black or blue patch on its back, called 

 the saddle ; the tail must be of the same colour witL the back 

 and snout, while the legs should be all white ; and there ought 

 to be dark stripes on both sides of the body in front, passing 

 backwards to meet the saddle and uniting on the top of the 

 shoulders at the part called the withers in a horse. These 

 stripes form what is termed the ' chain,' having somewhat the 

 appearance of a chain or collar hanging round the neck. 



" Among thoroughbred fancy rabbits, perhaps not one in a 

 hundred will have aU these markings clearly and exactly dis- 

 played on the coat ; but the more nearly the figures on thr 

 coat of a rabbit approach to the pattern described, the greater 

 will be its value, so far at least as relates to colour. The beauty 

 and consequent worth of a fancy rabbit, however, depends a good 

 deal on its shape, or what is styled its carriage. A rabbit is 

 said to have a good carriage when its back is finely arched, 

 rising fuU two inches above the top of its head, which must be 

 held so low as for the muzzle and the points of the ears to reach 

 almost to the ground." 



Fancy rabbits fetch a very high price ; so much as five and 

 ten guineas, and even more, is sometimes given for a first-rate 

 doe. If young ones are first procured from a good family, the 

 foundation of an excellent stock caa be procured for a much 

 smaller sum. 



Compare a thoroughbred "fancy" rabbit, say a true "lop," 

 with the neat little " hedgehog" or " warrener," and it is really 

 very hard to believe that any amount of cultivation could bring 

 about a change so radical. It is denied by some naturalists 

 that the two races are identical, and any one who has endea- 



