BABBITS FROM AUSTRALIA. 
Commissioner Colman of the Department of Agriculture 
has made public the following, regarding the rumor of in- 
tended importation of rabbits from Australia into the United 
States : 
For some time past the press of the country has contained 
paragraphs relating to the expected introduction into the 
United States of the “ Australian rabbit,” and the gravest 
fears have been expressed concerning the probable effect of 
such importation upon our agricultural industries, hence a 
few facts concerning this rabbit may prove of interest. In 
the first place it should be stated that in reality there is no 
“ Australian ” rabbit, no species being native to that country. 
The rabbit that has done so much harm in Australia and 
New Zealand is an introduced species — namely, the common 
rabbit of Europe ( Lepus cunieulus). Not only did this rab- 
bit become a pest to the gardeners and fruit-growers, but it 
soon multiplied to such an extent as seriously to interfere 
with sheep-raising, by destroying the pasturage. In New 
Zealand the legislature took the matter in hand in 1876 and 
began the enactment of a series of stringent laws for the 
suppression of the rabbit scourge. In 1881 more than 500, 
000 acres of sheep runs had been abandoned on account of 
the rabbits, the loss to the exports of the colony was calcu- 
lated to be $3,500,000 per annum, and it was estimated that 
upward of 18,000,000 of rabbits were killed in New Zealand 
in a little oyer three years. In the United States we certainly 
have enough rabbits of our own, and the injury they now 
inflict upon our agricultural industries is by no means insig- 
nificant, if any reliance is to be placed upon the complaints 
of fruit-growers in the Mississippi Valley and in California. 
Many cases might be cited, prominent among which is that 
of the English sparrow, to show that the transplanting of a 
naturally prolific species to a country where the conditions 
for existence are favorable gives it a peculiar impetus and 
enables it to crowd out and supersede the indigenous related 
species. While there is no positive evidence to show that 
the European rabbit would be the curse in this country that 
it is in Australia and New Zealand, yet there is no proof to 
the contrary, and its introduction here would be, to say the 
least, an unnecessary and hazardous experiment. 
As to the power of an officer of the government to prevent 
the introduction of this pest in the United States, I know of 
no law conferring any such authority. Congress might 
enact a law conferring upon the commissioner of agricult- 
ure the power to prevent the landing of any animal, bird, or 
other pest in any port of the United States that in his opin- 
ion would be injurious to agriculture on the same principle 
that it prevents the introduction of cattle affected with con 
tagious diseases. 
Unless there is premeditated importation by dealers, how 
ever, there would seem to be no occasion for alarm. 
THE HABITS OF SNIPES. y 
ClIRISTIANSBURG, OHIO. 
Editor American Field : — I know that there are a great 
many sportsmen who will differ with me and say that snipes 
do not alight on trees, fences, etc. I find that Captain A. 
H. Bogardus, in his “ Field Cover and Trap Shooting,” page 
146, says, “ I have never met a man who had seen or pre- 
tended to have seen a. snipe alight on a tree or fence at this 
or any other time.” Snipes must therefore differ in their 
habits in different localities. I always had my doubts about 
the matter (many good authorities to the contrary notwith- 
standing) until the 18th of April, 1886, when a friend and 
myself, on the morning of the date mentioned, drove to a 
big marsh some ten miles from here, where we have shot 
snipes for many years. The morning bid fair for the day- 
just such a day as one would wish for snipe shooting — but by 
the time we reached the marsh the wind had raised consid- 
erable, the atmosphere became hazy, and hundreds of 
snipes were hovering in the air. Of course we got no shoot- 
ing, but I had the best opportunity of my life to observe 
their habits while hovering (or drumming as it is sometimes 
called). We spent the whole day on the marsh and killed 
but five snipes, notwithstanding there were hundreds of 
them in sight all the time. 
I was beating a strip of marsh-land alongside of a few 
dead trees and, the snipes hovering all around me, I 
set down on a log to watch them. While sitting there one 
of the hovering birds commenced circling around and 
coming down, and before I had time to think what he was 
going to do he lit upon one of those trees, less than fifty 
yards from me. So that there might not be any mistake I 
thought I would shoot the bird as he sat on the tree, but be- 
fore I could do so he dropped to the ground and I walked 
him up and killed him. He was one of the finest specimens 
of the snipe family I ever saw. 
This being the first bird we had killed I called my friend 
to admire him and while we were looking at him another 
came down and lit upon a fence, about seventy-five yards 
from us. I started for him, but before I got within shoot- 
ing distance he took wing, coming toward me, and I killed 
him as he passed me without ever taking my eyes off of 
him, so I know that I killed the bird that sat upon the fence. 
All the doubts I had in the matter were now forever set at 
rest. I know that snipes in Ohio will sometimes alight 
on trees, fences, etc. I would like to hear from other snipe 
shooters in different parts of the country in regard to the 
above subject. A. Guthrie. 
