18G 
fate which had befallen the other members of its family; and let 
us hope that the species will be spared the fate of its larger 
distant cousin, the Dodo. 
In New Zealand, as well as many other places, the Eabbit has 
been introduced with the most disastrous results; in some instances, 
where they were unable to spread beyond certain limits, they have 
swarmed to such an extent that they have starved themselves oiit ; 
but in New Zealand, where the grass country is practically un- 
limited, they are more likely to starve out the. sheep-farmers, who are 
loud in their lamentations, and, incredible as it may seem, not 
satisfied with the result of one experiment in acclimatization, are 
loudly demanding a supply of Stoats and Weasels from the Old 
Country, hoping by their introduction to destroy the effects of their 
former imprudence. It needs no spirit of prophecy to predict what 
would be the speedy effect of the introduction of these bloodthirsty 
little creatures upon the fauna of a country where no carnivorous 
animal is known ; nor is there the least probability of the purpose 
for which they would be introduced being fulfilled. At present 
the settlers are destroying incredible numbers of Eabbits by mean.s 
of poison, and at a very heavy outlay. It is, however, satisfactory 
to read (‘Zoologist,’ 1880, p. 442) that the tide has been fairly 
turned, and that some of the runs have resumed their normal 
verdant hue, and again form good pasture for the Sheep. 
In 1874, Captain Fairfax, in command of the Transit of Venus 
Expedition on Kerguelen Island, turned off. in Observatory P>ay 
a few couple of wild Eabbits. Al^out the month of l\Iarch, 1880, 
H.M.S. ‘Comus’ visited the island, and in a letter to the ‘Field’ 
the Eev. A. C. Wright, the chaplain of that vessel, states that in 
this short interval the Eabbits had increased to such an enormous 
extent that they ran about in flocks, and must have numbered 
hundreds of thousands. Two hundred and fifty were killed by ten 
guns and a few weapons such as stones and broomsticks by the 
crew of the ‘Comus’ in one day. Eabbits are also said to abound on 
Ilog Island, one of the Crozets. In order to understand the 
significance of this intelligence I must ask you to allow me to 
make a short digression. Abounding in Kerguelen’s Island, and 
more sparsely distributed on the Crozets, Prince Edward, 
* July, 1880, p. 38. 
