2 



farmers' bulletin 702. 



northern parts of New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, 

 Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and from the western parts of Washington 

 and Oregon. In recent years they have extended their range north- 

 ward in the New England States, New York, and portions of the West, 

 and have invaded and occupied a considerable part of the Province 

 of Ontario. In habits they differ materially from the larger rab- 

 bits. They live in copses and thickets more than in open fields. The 

 young are born blind, naked, and helpless, while those of the larger 

 rabbits have the eyes open, are partially furred, and active when 

 born. 



Rabbits of both genera, however, feed exclusively on vegetation, 

 and are at times harmful to crops and especially to trees. Because 

 of their size :md great abundance in parts of their range, jack rab- 

 bits are by far the most destructive, but, except in a few places where 

 they have been introduced, none are found east of the Mississippi. 

 Epizootics (diseases which attack many animals at the same time) 

 are an effectual natural check, and after such attack occurs, jack 

 rabbits are usually so reduced in numbers that they are not trouble- 

 some again for several years. 



Traps and other devices that are effective with cottontail rabbits 

 do not always succeed with jack rabbits. The recommendations con- 

 tained in this bulletin will, therefore, apply only to cottontail rab- 

 bits, but they may suggest methods that, with modifications, may be 

 used against the larger forms. 



HABITS OF COTTONTAIL RABBITS. 



Cottontail rabbits (fig. 1) are so well known that little need be 

 said of their habits. They breed several times each year during the 

 warmer months, the litters averaging five or six young. The nest 

 is usually placed in a hollow or depression of the ground, often in 

 open fields or meadows. It is composed of dead grass and warmly 

 lined with fur Avhich the female pulls from her own body. The male 

 rabbit takes no part in caring for the young, and the female weans 

 them as soon as they are able to leave the nest. These animals breed 

 so rapidly that in spite of many natural enemies, and of the fact 

 that they are hunted for human food, they often become numerous 

 enough to inflict serious losses on farmers and fruit growers in many 

 parts of the United States (fig. 2). 



Cottontail rabbits eat all sorts of herbage — leaves, stems, flowers, 

 and seeds of herbaceous plants and grasses — and leaves, buds, bark, 

 and fruits of woody plants or trees. They usually prefer the most 

 succulent foods, as young shoots, tender garden vegetables, clover, 

 alfalfa, and fallen ripe fruits; but they exhibit also a remarkable 



