AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
FOR THE 
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Entered according to Act of Congress, in Febraary, 18T7, by the Oranse Judd CojiPASr, at the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
VOLUME XXXVI.— No. 3. 
NEM^ YORK. MARCH, 1877. 
NEW SERIES— No. 362. 
A GROUP OF LOP-EARED RABBITS.— Drawn ami Engraved for the American Aaricultiirisl. 
Rabbits are, in this country, so exclusively raised 
as pets, that we rarely regard them as productive 
stock, and they are VC17 seldom used as food. 
Our wild rabbit is more frequently eaten than the 
domesticates, which, by the way, is a true rabbit, 
while all our wild rabbits are properly hares. The 
flesh of the domesticated animal is vastly superior 
to that of the wild, and the few that are ottered in 
our city markets, meet with a ready sale to Euro- 
peans, who are acriuaintcd with their good qualities. 
With proper arranpicmcnts for raisins; rabbits, a 
siipply of excellent food may be produced very 
cheaply. j\jnong the varieties none is more esteem- 
ed than the Lop-ear, so called from the peculiar 
position of the car. This is a great favorite among 
those who keep rabbits as pets, and it is also the 
most valuable for food, on iiccouut of its rapid 
growth and great size, as it is not rare for them to 
weiirh 8 or 10 pounds, and specimens have been 
exhibited as heavy us 18 pounds. The points 
of excellence in these animals are : length, width, 
and position of ear; color and style of marking; 
a full and round eye ; general carriage, which should 
be low at the shoulders, high at the bind quarter, 
and a dewlap upon which the head rests when iu 
repose ; and finally, size. The lop of the car, duo 
to it.s great size and the weakness of the muscles, 
does not always breed true ; the ears stick some- 
times out horizontally, when they are called " oar- 
lops," and it but one ear droops, '" half-lops." 
