Chap. IV. THE HIMALAYAN BREED. 109 



They breed perfectly true, and have long been kept in warrens. 

 When they escape and cross with common rabbits, the product, 

 as I hear from Mr. Wyrley Birch, of Wretham Hall, is not a 

 mixture of the two colours, but about half take after the one 

 parent, and the other half after the other parent. Secondly, 

 chinchillas or tame silver-greys (I will use the former name) 

 have short, paler, mouse or slate-coloured fur, interspersed with 

 long, blackish, slate-coloured, and white hairs. 16 These rabbits 

 breed perfectly true. Now, the writer above referred to had a 

 breed of chinchillas which had been crossed with the common 

 black rabbit, and their offspring were either blacks or chin- 

 chillas. These latter were again crossed with other chinchillas 

 (which had also been crossed with silver-greys), and from this 

 complicated cross Himalayan rabbits were raised. From these 

 and other similar statements, Mr. Bartlett " was led to make a 

 careful trial in the Zoological Gardens, and he found that by 

 simply crossing silver-greys with chinchillas he could always 

 produce some few Himalayans ; and the latter, notwithstanding 

 their sudden origin, if kept separate, bred perfectly true. 



The Himalayans, when first born, are quite white, and are 

 then true albinoes; but in the course of a few months they 

 gradually assume their dark ears, nose, feet, and tail. Occa- 

 sionally, however, as I am informed by Mr. W. A. Wooler and 

 the Eev. W. D. Fox, the young are born of a very pale grey 

 colour, and specimens of such fur were sent me by the former 

 gentleman. The grey tint, however, disappears as the animal 

 comes to maturity. So that with these Himalayans there 

 is a tendency, strictly confined to early youth, to revert to the 

 colour of the adult silver-grey parent-stock. Silver-greys and 

 chinchillas, on the other hand, present a remarkable contrast 

 in their colour whilst quite young, for they are born perfectly 

 black, but soon assume their characteristic grey or silver tints. 

 The same thing occurs with grey horses, which, as long as they 

 are foals, are generally of a nearly black colour, but soon become 

 grey, and get whiter and whiter as they grow older. Hence 

 the usual rule is that Himalayans are born white and afterwards 

 become in certain parts of their bodies dark-coloured ; whilst 



» < Journal of Horticulture/ April * Mr. Bartlett, in < Proc. Zoolog. Soc./ 



9th, 1861, p. 35. 1861, p . 40. 



