THE GAME BREEDER 



13 



MORE ABOUT THE SIBERIAN HARE. 



By McGillivray 



I liked the Black Flemish Giant, and 

 in May, 1915, purchased some black 

 giants from Gerald O. Newton of New- 

 castle, Ind. ; I also purchased a black 

 giant buck from Mr. Jess McCully and 

 paid for them. 



Just in the midst of this slight rab- 

 bit fever, a family of Jews brought direct 

 from Siberia, some very large black 

 rabbits, also some skins of the same kind. 

 I examined the skins and was so much 

 impressed with their quality that I 

 bought the rabbits, which were called 

 Siberian hares. I then decided to sell 

 the few Flemish giants I had and the 

 last purchased from Mr. Newton and 

 the buck from Mr. Jess McCully, which 

 I had not yet received owing to some 

 embargo on live animals, coming across 

 the line at that time. I sold the New- 

 ton does and the McCully buck to the 

 Renwick Game Farm, without ever 

 bringing them across the line, at a re- 

 duced price. I also sold all I had pur- 

 chased from Mr. Newton that were here. 



The Siberian Hare Co. did sell the 

 Renwick Game Farm a trio of these 

 real Siberian rabbits with an agreement 

 that they would be advertised in the 

 booklet on the Siberian hare, hence the 

 Renwick Game Farm's advertisement in 

 the booklet ; otherwise the Siberian Hare 

 Co. of Hamilton is not responsible for, 

 is not now, nor never was in any way 

 financially connected with the Renwick 

 Farm. 



I knew nothing about the Renwick 

 Game Farm purchasing these black 

 giants from Mr. Newton. I did hear 

 that they were experimenting with black 

 giants and Siberian hares, but I never 

 learned the results. 



Now for the Mr. Henshaw of the 

 Biological Survey as to rabbit skins being 

 useless. I am having some of these 

 skins tanned and will send the Depart- 

 ment at Washington one for examina- 



tion, which beyond all doubt will cause 

 Mr. Henshaw to change his mind as to 

 the value of the skin. As to the Si- 

 berian hare being a rabbit and not a 

 hare, I admit I always knew this; but 

 what is the Belgian hare? 



I did think when I first got the Si- 

 berians, according to the then informa- 

 tion I had, that they were indigenous to 

 Siberia, and were wild there; but, later, 

 information and investigation, has 

 caused me to believe that they were im- 

 ported to Siberia many years ago, and 

 developed there, as the following article 

 from the July number of the "Pet Stock 

 World" explains better than I can: 



The Siberian Hare — A Reader's Views. 



I have read with interest an article written 

 by my countryman, Mr. Shacknoe, on the 

 Black Siberian Hare. Mr. Shacknoe claims 

 Siberia as the habitat of the animal known in 

 America as the Siberian Hare, while in real- 

 ity a rabbit (probably the Patagonian rabbit), 

 which was imported into Siberia some sixty 

 years ago, and by human selection taking ad- 

 vantage of the cold climate, it was changed 

 and improved till it reached its present ap- 

 pearance. The slouchy and ugly ears drooping 

 forward, over the eyes, would be straightened 

 up by the coldness of the climate, as do the 

 ears of the lop-eared rabbit when bred for 

 three generations in Siberia. 



When black or silver sports were produced 

 they were kept for breeding purposes, and, as 

 like begets like, the whole flock soon became 

 either black or silver gray. 



The desire to breed for these colors was ac- 

 tuated by the higher prices their owners would 

 get for their pelts. They also breed from the 

 largest animals, as the flesh of this rabbit is 

 delicious to eat, and the owners wanted more 

 of it. 



My theory is that the changes in the animal 

 were made by human selection for personal 

 gain, and it was not caused by the beautiful, 

 scientific, natural selection, aided by large birds 

 of prey, as so profoundly described by Mr. 

 Shacknoe in his article on the natural historj^ 

 of the Siberian Hare. Th-p fact of the matter 

 is that there is no rabbit indigenous to Si- 

 beria, and only three hares, all of which are 

 grav in summer and white in winter. 



My grandfather, who was a close and care- 



