46 THE RABBIT 



point of killing a tiny rabbit, which had incautiously 

 wandered too far from the parental burrow, and it 

 is probable that most of the crow family, and 

 particularly the carrion crow and the raven, are cun- 

 ning enough, now and then, to secure a young rabbit 

 for supper, in spite of the vigilance of its courageous 

 parent. 



Rabbits, like other animals, have their ailments ; 

 and few people probably would suspect the variety 

 of diseases to which they are subject. Amongst the 

 chief causes of disease are over-stocking, breeding 

 in-and-in, and living and feeding on tainted and 

 unwholesome ground. To these causes may be attri- 

 buted enteric or typhoid fever and tuberculosis — 

 maladies which sometimes manifest themselves with 

 such virulence as to give rise to a general and alarm- 

 ing mortality. 



Occasionally rabbits are found lying dead in all 

 directions. This may arise from ' scouring ' produced 

 by a flush of grass after a dry season, or (if fed) by 

 giving too much green food, or food that is too wet 

 with dew or rain upon it. But sometimes rabbits will 

 die when about half grown, which, on examination, 

 will be found to have been suifering from an enlarged 

 abdomen and tuberculous liver. It is a true saying 

 that prevention is better than cure, and this especially 



