RABBIT. 347 



Skinner has derived the latter from the Latin rapidus. 

 The old English name of Coney has its analogue in most 

 European languages ; as the Italian Coniglio, Spanish 

 Conejo, Portuguese Coelho, German Kaninchen, Danish 

 and Swedish Kaning, Belgic Konin, and Welsh Cwningen ; 

 these are evidently allied to the Latin Cuniculus, of which 

 no very satisfactory derivation has been suggested. It is 

 perhaps hardly necessary to add that the animal mentioned 

 in the Bible to which the name Coney is applied in our 

 version, is not the Rabbit, but the Syrian Hyrax {Hyrax 

 syriacus) . 



The general form of this species is fuller and rounder 

 than that of the Hare, and the flanks are less contracted ; 

 the head and ears are much shorter (especially the latter), 

 as are also the hind legs. The general colour is a greyish- 

 brown, the neck reddish-fawn, the throat and belly white, 

 the ears are brownish-grey throughout their whole length, 

 with a narrow black margin at the extreme tips, and the 

 tail is blackish-grey above, white beneath. Pied, black, 

 and fawn-coloured varieties not unfrequently occur in a 

 wild state, even where there can have been no admixture 

 of tame blood. 



