106 DOMESTIC RABBITS. C hap. IV. 



shape of their skulls. 8 English lop-eared rabbits often weigh 

 8 lbs. or 10 lbs., and one has been exhibited weighing 18 lbs. • 

 whereas a full-sized wild rabbit weighs only about 3 J lbs. The 

 head or skull in all the large lop-eared rabbits examined by 

 me is much longer relatively to its breadth than in the wild 

 rabbit. Many of them have loose transverse folds of skin or 

 dewlaps beneath the throat, which can be pulled out so as to 

 reach nearly to the ends of the jaws. Their ears are pro- 

 digiously developed, and hang down on each side of their 

 faces. A rabbit has been exhibited with its two ears, measured 

 from the tip of one to the tip of the other, 22 inches in length 

 and each ear was 5f inches in breadth. In a common wild 

 rabbit I found that the length of the two ears, from tip to tip 

 was 7f inches, and the breadth only l£ inch. The great weight 

 of the body in the larger rabbits, and the immense development 

 of their ears, are the qualities which win prizes, and have been 

 carefully selected. 



The hare-coloured, or, as it is sometimes called, the Belgian 

 rabbit, differs in nothing except colour from the other large 

 breeds ; but Mr. J. Young, of Southampton, a great breeder of 

 this kind, informs me that the females, in all the specimens exa- 

 mined by him, had only six mammas ; and this certainly was the 

 case with two females which came into my possession. Mr. B. P. 

 Brent, however, assures me that the number is variable with 

 other domestic rabbits. The common wild rabbit always has 

 ten mammas. The Angora rabbit is remarkable from the length 

 and fineness of its fur, which even on the soles of the feet is of 

 considerable length. This breed is the only one which differs 

 in its mental qualities, for it is said to be much more sociable 

 than other rabbits, and the male shows no wish to destroy its 

 young. 9 Two live rabbits were brought to me from Moscow, 

 of about the size of the wild species, but with long soft fur, 

 different from that of the Angora. These Moscow rabbits 

 had pink eyes and were snow-white, excepting the ears, two 

 spots near the nose, the upper and under surface of the tail, and 

 the hinder tarsi, which were blackish-brown. In short, they were 



8 They are briefly described in the » 'Journal of Horticulture,' 1861, p. 



'Journal of Horticulture/ May 7th, 1861. 380. 

 p. 108. 



1 



