114 DOMESTIC RABBITS. Chap. IV. 



portionally with the body ; and the capacity of the brain case is, 

 as we shall hereafter see, singularly variable. I prepared four 

 skulls, and these resembled each other more closely than do 

 generally the skulls of wild English rabbits; but the only 

 difference in structure which they presented was that the supra- 

 orbital processes of the frontal bones were narrower. 



In colour the Porto Santo rabbit differs considerably from the 

 common rabbit; the upper surface is redder, and is rarely 

 interspersed with any black or black-tipped hairs. The throat 

 and certain parts of the under surface, instead of being pure 

 white, are generally pale grey or leaden colour. But the most 

 remarkable difference is in the ears and tail; I have exa- 

 mined many fresh English rabbits, and the large collection of 

 skins in the British Museum from various countries, and all have 

 the upper surface of the tail and the tips of the ears clothed 

 with, blackish-grey fur ; and this is given in most works as one 

 of the specific characters of the rabbit. Now in the seven Porto 

 Santo rabbits the upper surface of the tail was reddish-brown, 

 and the tips of the ears had no trace of the black edging. But 

 here we meet with a singular circumstance : in June, 1861, 

 I examined two of these rabbits recently sent to the Zoolo- 

 gical Gardens, and their tails and ears were coloured as just 

 described ; but when one of their dead bodies was sent to me in 

 February, 1865, the ears were plainly edged, and the upper 

 surface of the tail was covered, with blackish-grey fur, and the 

 whole body was much less red ; so that under the English climate 

 this individual rabbit had recovered the proper colour of its fur 

 in rather less than four years ! 



The two little Porto Santo rabbits, whilst alive in the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens, had a remarkably different appearance from 

 the common kind. They were extraordinarily wild and active, 

 so that many persons exclaimed on seeing them that they were 

 more like large rats than rabbits. They were nocturnal to 

 an unusual degree in their habits, and their wildness was never 

 in the least subdued ; so that the superintendent, Mr. Bartlett, 

 assured me that he had never had a wilder animal under his 

 charge. This is a singular fact, considering that they are de- 

 scended from a domesticated breed ; I was so much surprised at 

 it, that I requested Mr. Haywood to make inquiries on the spot, 



