NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RABBIT 3 



have been devised, amongst others by wild weasels 

 from Africa trained for the purpose (Kai S^ yaXas 

 dypcas as y\ AiySvr; <^€|Oet rpecjiovcTiv cTrmySes). Having 

 muzzled these, they turn them into the holes, where 

 they either drag out the animals they find there with 

 their claws, or compel them to fly to the surface, 

 where they are taken by people standing by for that 

 purpose. ' 



^lian, also, who lived in the third century of the 

 Christian era, particularly describes the rabbits of 

 Spain. ^ Pliny says : ' There is also a species of hare in 

 Spain, which is called cuniculus ; it is extremely prolific, 

 and produces famine in the Balearic islands, by destroy- 

 ing the harvests.' Further on he adds : ' It is a well- 

 known fact that the inhabitants of the Balearic islands 

 begged of the late Emperor Augustus the aid of a 

 number of soldiers to prevent the too rapid increase 

 of these animals. Ferrets (viverriz) are much prized 

 on account of their hunting these animals ; they are 

 put into the burrows, with their numerous outlets, 

 which the rabbits form, and from which circumstance 

 they derive their name ; and as the ferrets drive them 

 out, they are taken above. ' ^ The Latin word cuniculus 

 denotes both a rabbit and an underground passage. 



' Geograph. iii. 2, §6. ^ Hist. Nat. xiii. 15. 



= Hist. Nat. viii. 55. 



B 2 



