RABBIT. 



between the foil and the rock, and chieHy towards the tops 

 of the hillB. And thoufands of daws build their nefts in 

 the burrows, to tlie great annoyance of the rabbits. But 

 at Driflieldgi-eets, near Drilfield, where there are two large 

 warrens, the furface is a dead flat ; neverthelefs, the warrens 

 nre well itockcd and produftive ; a proof that a flat furface 

 may, in fome cafes, be profitably Hocked witli rabbits. The 

 foil, iu this cafe, is a light laisd or gravelly loam, which is 

 very proper for the purpofe to whicii it is applied. 



In fome of the very fouthern diilricts, rabbits occupy the 

 different fandy hillocks, and many of the rocky vvalles ; 

 but there is nothing of any great importance in the manage- 

 ment of them. Both the grey and black forts prevail in 

 fome inftances. The writer of the Sufl'ex Report on Agri- 

 culture thinks, that tins fort of Hock is tlie nuifance of a 

 county ; it increafes and ilouriflies in proportion to the fize 

 of the walles, and is, of coiirfe, produftive in this county. 

 From Horfliam foreft, Afhdown, and other parts, very con- 

 fiderable quantities of rabbits are fent to be difpofed of in 

 London. 



In fome of the midland counties they are fouiid to be 

 fuflficiently abundant upon the fandy parts of wade lands ; 

 in inclofed level land, it is thought that they are no better 

 than vermin, and that fliould the commons be pretty gene- 

 rally inclofed, they mud be in a great moafure exterminated 

 to make way for a better fort of flock ; in inclofed land, 

 they can only be kept u'ith propriety, either in fmall warrens 

 near the houle, well fenced in, for family confumption ; or 

 on fandy or rocky precipices, impradticable to the plough, 

 where they (houid alfo be fenced in. It is well known, that 

 in the neighbourhood of commons abounding with them, 

 great pains and expence are often ufed to fence the inclofed 

 adjoining lands from their depredations. Rabbits arc cer- 

 tainly a fort of ttock unworthy of being cultivated, or bred 

 in any confiderable numbers, on inclofed and cultivated land ; 

 yet doubtlefs deferving confiderable attention on impracti- 

 cable fandy or rocky iteeps, which may at the fame time be 

 planted ; and when properly fenced m, and thus ftocked, 

 fuch land fcems in a fyllcni of the higheft improvement of 

 which it is capable. 



In Chelhire many doubts have been entertained as to the 

 advantages of encouraging the breed of rabbits, and many 

 farmers are fo utterly averfe to them, that they would wifh 

 the whole race to be entirely exterminated. Where land is 

 inclofed, and applied to arable purpofes, it feems agreed 

 that by the injury they do to the fences, by the interfering 

 ^vith the cultivated land, and by the deftroying of its pro- 

 duce, thev are much more detrimental than profitable. It 

 is, however, thougiit to be a queilion for confideration, whe- 

 ther, if a portion of weak fand, or dry heath land, was fet 

 apart for a rabbit-warren, well fenced, and kept diftinft 

 for this purpofe; it might not, in fome fituatiorts, be more 

 profitably employed in this than in any other manner. 



By fome it is fuppofed, that it may be occafionally ne- 

 ceflary to reftrain them, on account of their aftonifiiing 

 fecundity ; but that to attempt to exterminate them, if it 

 were poffible, could not be politic or advifeable, as they 

 furnifli food for foxes, which would otherwife prey on game 

 and poultry; 



This fort of dock is frequently met with in many other 

 diftrifts on tracts and fpots of fimilar kinds of barren and 

 uncultivable forts of land, and is probably the mod con- 

 venient, appropriate, and beneficial defcription of any by 

 whicli they can poffibly be occupied and managed. 



Stocking. — In the fecond of the above didrifts, it is dated, 

 that in itocking a warren, whether the furface be flat or 

 hilly, a;-tificial burrows are made, to reconcile the rabbits 



to the ground, .ind to preferve them from vermin, until they 

 have time to make their own burrows. And that in making, 

 thefe burrows, an improvement has lately, it is obferved, 

 been hit upon. They are bored with an auger, of a dia- 

 meter large enough to make a burrow of a fuHicicnt width. 

 In a level warren, thefe augers may, from lime to time, be 

 found ufeful in forming fucli holes. They, however, in 

 mod cafes, arc capable of making burrows for themfelves 

 without any difficulty. 



But in regard to docking in Lincolnfhire, according to 

 the agricultural furvey of that didridt, fome of the warren 

 lands are docked in the proportion of three couple only to 

 the acre ; while in others, it is in a coniiderably larger pro- 

 portion. And one buck or male rabbit is faid to be there 

 fufficient for one hundred does, or females ; but this is cer- 

 tainly a much larger proportion of the latter fort, than it 

 allowed in mod other didnCts. On the wold warrens of 

 Yorkfliire, according to Mr. Marfliall, one male is confidered 

 as fufficient for only fix or /even females, and the nearer they 

 can be brought to that proportion, the greater the dock of 

 young ones that may be txpcfted, it being the nature or 

 economy of the rtiales to dedroy their young, efpecially 

 when the proportional number is too great. 



Fencing. — The fencing in thefe fituations is fod-wall, 

 capped w'ith furze, or of late vvith diff draw, forming a 

 kind of thatch. And it is fuppofed, that reed would be 

 found admirable in tliis intention. The warrens near Drif- 

 field are fenced with paling; an expenfive fence in the out- 

 fet, and always under repairs. A brook, though ever fo 

 deep, is found to be infnfficient as a fence againd rabbits ; 

 one fide of Driffieldgreets warren is bounded by a brook ; 

 but it is neverthelefs fenced with paling. When the rabbits 

 can evade this, they readily fwim tiie brook. The neceffity 

 of good fences is of courfe fufficiently evident in this view, 

 as well as that of preferving them from the dedrudlion of 

 vermin, and birds of prey, fuch as eagles, kites, &c. which 

 are taken in deel traps, placed on elevated mounds of earth, 

 where they delight to fit. It is this kind of fencing ^nd 

 coping, or kidding the top, together with food in winter, 

 nets, traps, and other things for taking them, with char- 

 coal for drying the Ikins, warreners' men for killing and 

 carrying, horfcs for carrying them to market, &c. that con- 

 ditute the great expence of this fort of management. 



Different Breeds. — There are many different breeds or 

 varieties of thefe animals, but thofe that are employed as 

 fto'ck for warrens are the common grey and filver-grey 

 breeds : the former of which is found to be confiderably 

 more hardy and much better for the purpofes of food ; but 

 the latter has greatly the advantage in the value of the fltin. 

 In the above warrens, -till lately the common grey rabbit, 

 probably the native wild rabbit of the iiland, was the onlv 

 fpecies. At prefent, the filver-haired rabbit is fought after, 

 and has, within the few lad years, been introduced into 

 mod warrens. The fliin of the grey rabbit is cut ; that is, 

 the wool is pared off the pelt, as a material of hats ; whereas, 

 that of the filver-haired rabbit is dreffed as fur ; which, the 

 writer uuderdands, goes principally to the Ead Indies. 

 The colour is a black ground, thickly interfperfed with 

 fingle white hairs. The flcins of this variety fell for about 

 four (hillings a dozen more than thofe of thecomm.on fort ; 

 a fufficient inducement for propagating it in preference to 

 the grey fort in mod cafes. If the white forts could be in- 

 troduced they might be ifill more valuable. 



Management, Expences, Profits, isfc. — This is a fort of 

 dock tliat on the whole only requires a flight attention ; 

 it is, however, necedary to fupply the rabbits with addi- 

 tional food in the winter feafon, when the weather is fevere, 



fuch 



