THE RABBIT OR CONY 213 



scale produces at first what are practically deserts. " The 

 rabbits," writes Mr Wallis, "bore into a gently sloping hillside, 

 the soil falls down, a slight escarpment is made, and they bore 

 again. This process, continually repeated, gives rise to 

 considerable extents of loose sand, bounded on the upper side 

 by a miniature cliff full of burrows, on the lower side merging 

 almost imperceptibly into the hillside. The action of the wind 

 upon the loose sand is such as by purely mechanical means 

 to prohibit the growth of any vegetable life, but where stones 

 offer any protection against the moving grains, C/adonia {lichen) 

 will often be found. This may either cover in time the whole 

 bare area, or give way to Festuca ovina (sheep's fescue-grass), 

 which in turn gives way to Carex (sedge). Towards the lower 

 edge the Cladonia increases considerably, with here and there 

 a tuft of Festuca ovina and the straight lines of Carex shoots, 

 until the normal growth of the undisturbed hillside is reached." 



One class of plants seems to owe its existence in Breckland 

 entirely to the rabbit-burrows. They are the annuals, 

 always rare plants in the sandy wastes of this district, and 

 especially those called cornfield annuals. These appear on 

 the excavation heaps of burrows which are little frequented 

 or disused, and amongst them may be mentioned the hemlock, 

 storksbill, wall and vernal speedwells, early and changing 

 forget-me-nots, the field cudweed, and the early hair grass. 

 Later on the annuals are succeeded by perennials, differing, 

 however, from those found growing on the surrounding soil. 

 These perennials " seem to hold their ground well, particularly if 

 the ground is loose and very dry, as is the case upon the hillocks 

 which are so often chosen by the rabbits for their holes." 



According to Mr Wallis, the annuals "depend for their 

 very existence upon constant and regular disturbance of the 

 soil. Originally such plants, in those portions of the world 

 where they had not invaded the cultivated land of primitive 

 man, must have led a precarious existence upon landslips, 

 bare and crumbling river banks, but principally upon the 

 earths of burrowing animals. It is on the rabbit earths, and 

 on these alone, that in the wilder portions annuals can exist. 

 We see to-day the rabbit performing, in this quiet corner of 

 England, his ancient role of agriculturist." 



