THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
captured when about ten days old, and allowed the run of the house, be- 
came very tame, and lived for six years. Another taken when only a few 
weeks old, and brought up by hand, was reported to be alive and well 
in its eleventh year. 
The average weight of a wild rabbit may be set down at from 3 lb. to 
lb., or about the weight of a good cock pheasant, but, naturally, much 
will depend upon the abundance, or otherwise, of food, and the difference 
in weight between rabbits on a light soil with nothing but innutritious 
grass to feed upon, and those from highly cultivated farm lands growing 
plenty of roots and clover, is very noticeable. A rabbit shot in Lincoln- 
shire in November, 1892, weighed 4 lb. 10 oz., and several have been 
reported in “ The Field ” which weighed considerably over 4 lb. An old 
buck killed in the snow just before Christmas weighed, before being 
paunched, 4 lb. 13 oz., and this was in a district where no fresh stock 
had been introduced to increase the size. Under similar conditions at 
Newport Pagnell, in January, 1890, one which attracted attention from 
its size, was found to turn the scales at 4 lb. 14 oz. Rabbits weighing 5 lb. j 
and upwards, although, of course, not common, have been several times 
reported. In February, 1890, a correspondent at Lichfield wrote word | 
that he had obtained one which weighed 6 lb. all but 2 oz., and was of 
opinion that it was a pure bred wild rabbit. When so-called wild rabbits || 
of such extraordinary size are reported there is naturally reason to suspect 
that they must be the result of a cross with tame rabbits that have been j 
turned down, if not on the same ground, at all events on adjoining land; 
and in some cases this has been proved to be so. In the opinion of the 
writer it is a mistake to turn out tame rabbits on a sporting estate, for I 
although the result no doubt will be to increase the size of the progeny, 
that is not what is wanted if they are to afford sport with the gun, 
and tame rabbits seldom burrow, but live on the surface like hares. j 
The desideratum is a strong active rabbit with the highest possible ^ il 
turn of speed, and not a clumsy animal that can hardly be made to 
move. In a warren, of course, where rabbits are only reared for market 
and are always ferreted or netted, or trapped, the case is different; 
speed counts for nothing, and the heavier the animal the better will be the 
market price obtained. I 
Within certain limits, wild rabbits are subject to some variation in | 
colour without any admixture from tame stock. White, black, sandy and j 
silver-grey are all well-known varieties, and although they cannot be said [ 
206 
