The White-Tailed Jack Rabbit 
35 
shade trees is often gnawed and the trees seriously injured. 
Gardens are frequently much harmed by rabbits, as they are 
very fond of the growing vegetables; alfalfa and clover 
fields are frequently much damaged by rabbits. 
Because of the rapidity with which rabbits increase in 
numbers the damage done by them has been at times a very 
serious matter and various measures have been taken to 
destroy the animals. In some States bounties have been 
paid for Jack Rabbits. In others hunts and drives on a 
large scale have been organized, and the animals killed in 
large numbers, which seem almost incredible. In Colorado, 
about the middle of the nineties, several hunts took place at 
and near Lamar, Prowers County. After the first one or two 
of these which were gotten up and participated in by local 
residents only, larger hunts were organized, to which people 
came from the outside in considerable numbers, and for 
which excursion rates were made by the railroad. One, 
which took place December 22 and 23, 1894, was especially 
successful, loi gunners taking part, and 5,142 rabbits being 
killed as the result of a day and a half of steady work. Alto- 
gether, in Prowers and Las Animas counties, in the years 1893, 
'94, and '95, over 32,000 rabbits were killed in these organized 
hunts, to say nothing of those which must have been killed 
by individual hunters and parties. After the first year the 
greater number of the rabbits thus killed were distributed, 
under the direction of the Rev. Thomas Uzzel, among the 
poor of Denver and Pueblo. These hunts no longer take 
place, and the rabbits are not as abundant as formerly, though 
of course still common. About all the rabbits killed in these 
hunts were Jack Rabbits, and probably by far the greater 
number were Black-tails, L. melanotis, this being by far 
the most common rabbit in that region. 
But it is in the San Joaquin Valley, California, that the 
greatest number of rabbits have been killed by organized 
