RABBIT. 



will quite depopulate the warrens. A confiderahle ex pence 

 alfo attends the necefilty there is for night-watchers, to pro- 

 teCl them from the inlinitely worfe vermin, the poachers. 

 With him the lilvcr-erey Ikins have been fold from H-r/. to 

 l^cL and i6c/. per flcin : the lall two years they have only 

 brought from I0(/. to ud. p<;r i\i\n ; but to obtain even 

 theie prices, they mud be what is called full fealoned, whole 

 flcins, and of the choicell colours, with relpccl to which 

 the fafhion varies very greatly. Tiie carcafes, of late years, 

 have not averaged net into pocket more tlian 4 (/. ^cr couple, 

 after the expence of drying them, and by means of light dili- 

 gence carts, having them carried to markets 30, and fometimes 

 more than 60, miles to obtain even that fum. This incon- 

 vcHience is occafioned partly by its being neced'ary to kill 

 eight or ten parts of a year's flaughter in io fliort a time, as 

 between the fecond week in November and Chrillmas, on 

 account of their ficins being tlien only in full prime, and as 

 they arc alio very foon fubjc£l to become putrid, much 

 more fo than hares ; and their being obliged to be packed 

 clofe together, very greatly increafes the mifchief. 



The elUmate of the warren on the eftate at Thorefway of 

 1 700 acres, as given by the tenant Mr. Holdgate, with the 

 filver fort of rabbits, is this : 



Labour, three regular warrencrs, with extra 7 

 affiitants at killing - - -J 



Fences .... 



Winter food . . • 



Nets, traps, Sec. &c. 

 13elivery ... 



Rent is faid to be ■7s. an acre - 



The capital employed is that fum with the" 

 addition of (lock paid for ; fuppofe 

 Hated about three couple an acre 



1 with the! 



)ofe this as >- 



at 2s. 4(i. J 



800 8 



595 



Intereft on that fum one year at 5 per cent. 



Annual Account. 



1395 8 4 



69 15 5 



1465 3 9 



£ s. (!. 



800 8 4 



69 15 5 



Expences as above 

 Intereft 



Produce 10,000 couple, at 2s. 4^. 

 Expences ... 



Profit 



Or about 22I. per cent, (the 5 /f /■ cent, included) on capital 

 employed. This the writer obferves is very great, reckoned 

 on the capital, but fmall reckoned by rent, as it amounts to 

 only half a rent. But fuppofe the grofs produce of 1500, 

 which he takes to be nearer the fadl ; then the account will 

 ftand thus : 



£. s. d. 

 Produce .... 1500 o o 



Expences .... 870 3 9 



But it isfuppofed tliat, in whatever way it is taken, it ex. 

 plains the rcalon of fo many of thefe nuifanceS remaining. 

 The invcdmcnt of a fmall capital aflbrds a profit orintercll 

 that nothing elfe will, and of courfe tile proprietor will be 

 fure never to convert them to better ufe. But, it is afked, 

 what fays the public interell > Here are only 200/. ex- 

 pences to 600/. rent, what is the population, the indultry, 

 the improvement ! The landlord gets the lowed of rent's, 

 the tenant makes a good profit, they divide all, and the rett 

 of the world is little or no better for them. 



Rabbit-warrens are met with in mod other didncts of 

 tlie kingdom, both towards the foutljern and northern parts 

 of it ; but more abundantly in thofc of the north. In the 



Profit 



or 45 per cent, on the capital. 



629 16 3 



iitly 

 fouth they have in mod places been got quit of from any 

 tolerable fort of land which is capable of affording any 

 other better kind of uleful produce, but in fome parts of 

 the north they dill occupy fpaces of ground which are of a 

 good quality, and which might be converted to better pur- 

 pofes with great advantage to the proprietors, as well as far- 

 mers. Warrens of this nature, in fome cafes, in both thefe 

 fituations, however, dill continue to be well docked, and in 

 the latter, are in particular indances of pretty confiderable 

 extents. 



In Chefliire, the principal rabbit-warrens are on Delamere 

 fored, tiiougii on ieveral of the heaths and fand-lands thefe 

 animals are frequently met with, but not in fucii numbers 

 together as to conllitute warrens. 



In the north riding of Yorkdiire, alfo, a few rabbit -war. 

 rens are met with on the detached moors, as well as on the 

 fliirtsof the higher moors ; but they are not fo extenfive as 

 to make them an objeft of much attention. The kind of 

 rabbits here are moilly the common grey, with the excep- 

 tion of the dock on a warren at Nappa, in Wenfley-dale, 

 of about one hundred and fifty or two hundred acres, which 

 confids of fiiver-greys, and is the only warren which is 

 known, in tiiis didridt, to be entirely docked with this 

 fort : they are ilated to have been brought fome years fincc 

 from a warren in the above noticed didrift of Lincohiihire, 

 to which they had been originally introduced from Ireland. 

 The fkins of this kind of i-abbits are fuppofed to be worth 

 double thofe of the grey ; they are not uled for felts, as the 

 lad, but dreffed as furs, and ultimately exported in that 

 date for the China market, where they are worn by the 

 principal people ; an ufc which has been already noticed and 

 confidered in regard to the demand which it creates. 



But in the northern parts of Lancalhire, warrens of this 

 kind are more frequent. At Roflall-hall, in the-trad called 

 the Fild, one of great extent has exided for a very great 

 length of time ; but the prefent proprietor, B. F. Hiflteth, 

 efq. has, with great propriety, lately reduced it very confi- 

 derably, by taking two large fine farms from it, fo that it 

 now confiils only of about a hundred acres of the mod fandy 

 barren part. 



This warren formerly fupplied a great number of rabbits 

 for fale in the markets and hat manufaftories of the neigh- 

 bourhood, and of courfe became a fource of profit to the 

 owner, though the management was very imperfeft. The 

 farms taken from it will, however, become far more ad- 

 vantageous to him. 



Tlie dock here was formerly of the grey rabbit kind, and 

 it is dill the lame on the warren which remains, w'hich is 

 however tar from being fufficiently Itocked. 



There was formerly no fort of green food ever cultivated 

 for this fort of dock ; nor has it been yet attempted on the 

 prefent warren, but the proprietor intends to have it done in 

 an effeftual manner. Nor have the rabbits ever been fed in 

 the winter feaXou with either hay, bark, or any other fort 



of 



