112 PRACTICAL RABBIT KEEPING 



of rabbit meat every year. In France, Bel- 

 gium and Germany, rabbits are eaten every- 

 where as a matter of course. When English 

 people talk about rabbits they often use the 

 old name, coney, which has been applied by 

 furriers to certain skins. 



The origin of some of the fancy rabbits is 

 fairly well known. The Flemish Giant, for 

 example, is a native of Belgium or Flanders, 

 from which place it found its way into other 

 parts of Europe. Since the organization of 

 a Flemish Giant club in England, it has been 

 greatly improved, but the blood of other 

 breeds has been introduced to some extent, 

 which accounts for the many different colored 

 specimens found. Occasionally, with the 

 newer breeds, new classes must be established 

 by the standard makers. This has been so in 

 the case of the Gray Flemish, which will now 

 be given a separate place. 



The exact origin of the Belgian hare has 

 been the subject of controversy for many 

 years, and sometimes this controversy has 

 waxed decidedly warm. That it actually orig- 

 inated in Belgium nobody can positively say. 

 Some breeders have gone so far as to claim 



