RABBITS 



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is often raised solely as a decorative animal. 



It cannot be too highly recommended for its 



meat ; it is very prolific and the young rabbits 



make a delicious stew. At birth they are pink, 



the white comes later, and the 



black fur does not appear until 



they are four months old. At 



six months they are in their 



full beauty ; at the end of a 



year and a half they lose it, 



because by that time the black 



begins to turn a rusty brown. 



To preserve this fine color the 



hutches must be kept in dark 



stables, away from the action 



of the sunlight. This is one 



of the most agreeable rabbits 



to raise. 



The tricolor Japan rabbit 

 is very like the tricolor (other- 

 wise called "tortoise-shell") 

 cat and is the product of the 

 crossing of various breeds. These rabbits are 

 not much in vogue. Their colors are black, 

 yellow, and a dirty white. Generally one half 

 of the head is yeUow, the other half black ; the 

 markings on the back and sides are in lines, or 



its snow-white fur, which is very valuable to 

 furriers. It is still (|uite rare un the Continent. 

 Children delight in it. Timi small to fjc raised 

 for the market, it is neverllieless often eaten 



A Frexch PArn.Lox (M.m.f.) 



in rings around the body. The more distinct 



these markings the more the animal is valued. 



The Fo/ts/i rabbit, of English origin, is 



small ; its red eyes shine out pleasantly from 



A Tricolor K.Mnur nr J.\i>AX 



in families, for its flesh is gf)od when )'oung. It 

 has a large progeny, which are easy t(j raise. 



The 1-rcnch papilloii (oi- butterfly) rabbit, 

 also a small species, is of recent date ; sf)me 

 years ago it appeared only at shows, but, being 

 a pretty animal, it soon found 

 admirers to raise it. It is 

 white with black, yellow, 

 gray, or steel-blue spots placed 

 with some regularity. The 

 nose and ears must ahva^'s be 

 of the same color as the si)ots. 

 From behind the ears a stripe 

 extends along the back, and 

 the spots ought to be ranged 

 with regularity on each side 

 about the haunch. This breed 

 is raised in about the same 

 manner as the Dutch rabbit, 

 but the French animals are 

 bred more for food than for 

 ornament. 

 The Xoniian rabbit is incontestabl)- the best 

 of all species for butchering. It attains a 

 weight of from nine to ten ]M)unds and may be 

 killed when five months old. It is raised in 



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