1870.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
173 
Our Gray Rabbit— {Lepus sylmticus.) 
This little animal so closely resembles its 
cousin, the rabbit of Europe (Lepus cuniculus), 
that it passes by its name in this country. Our 
rabbit is, however, very distinct, particularly in 
its habits. It does not burrow like its congener, 
which is the parent 
of our tame rabbits, 
but occasionally 
takes refuge in de¬ 
serted or occupied 
burrows, thus often 
falling a prey to 
foxes and perhaps 
other carnivorous 
animals. The rab¬ 
bit is about 16 inches 
long to the tail; it 
is larger at the West 
than at the East or 
South. It is some¬ 
thing over two feet 
long from the nose 
to the tips of the 
hind feet, when 
stretched out. The 
head is roundish 
and the ears short. 
The fur is soft and 
fine; the skin is 
rather thin and del¬ 
icate ; the color 
dark gray, tinted with yellowish-brown above, 
changing into gray and ash-color upon the sides 
and rump, and white upon the belly. The tail 
is very short, dark above and white below. It 
is very timid, but not suspicious; is easily trap¬ 
ped or shot from its “ form,” the hollow where 
it habitually sits, or, started by dogs, and shot 
upon the jump. The flesh is delicate and good 
eating, but not particularly rich or “ gamey.” 
The rabbit multiplies with such astonishing- 
rapidity that notwithstanding its many enemies 
it often increases so 
in numbers as to do 
farmers, nursery¬ 
men and gardeners, 
great damage. The 
worst thing it does 
is to gnaw the bark 
of young fruit trees 
near the ground, 
often girdling them 
entirely. This is 
usually done in win¬ 
ter when a lack of 
other food occurs; 
and the remedies 
are to encase the 
trees with birch 
bark, sheathing felt, 
or tarred paper, or 
to put some offen¬ 
sive substance upon 
the bark of the tree; 
sprinkling it with 
blood is found to 
prevent their at¬ 
tacks ; and it is the American dipper, 
and sight, their instintive tendency to remain 
still until discovered, and their rapid flight 
when once started, are their means of defence. 
So far as we know they never take the offen¬ 
sive except in their occasional fights with one 
another, or with other species of rabbits or hares, 
to which they manifest strong repugnance. 
closely watched than have those of ours. Ob¬ 
servers there state that the bird progresses be¬ 
neath the water by clinging to the stones at 
the bottom, by means of its long curved claws, 
and by the use of its short wings. Its food is 
mussels and other fresh water mollusks. Thu 
European species has the popular reputation of 
going beneath the 
water for the pur¬ 
pose of feeding 
upon the salmon 
spawn, and is hence 
regarded as an ene¬ 
my by the fisher¬ 
men. An examina¬ 
tion of the stomach 
of the bird has 
shown no founda¬ 
tion for this belief. 
The song of the 
European bird is 
very powerful and 
pleasing, but we do 
not find that ob¬ 
servers have noted 
the song of our 
species. The nest 
of the European 
species is a curi¬ 
ously constructed 
dome, often placed 
behind a sheet of 
falling water or in 
some locality where it could be found only 
with great difficulty. The nest of the American 
Dipper, though it has been diligently sought 
for, has remained unknown to ornithologists 
until the past summer, when it was discovered 
by the naturalists of the U. S. Geological Survey 
of Colorado and New Mexico. Mr. Henry W. 
Elliott, of Washington, D. C., who furnishes 
the sketch for the engraving, says : “ While we 
were in camp near Berthoud’s Pass, a member 
of the party was fortunate enough to discover 
one of these nests, 
and to secure it and 
its builders. I was 
with him, and made 
the accompanying- 
sketch. The nest is 
now in the Smith¬ 
sonian Museum. It 
was placed on a 
rocky shelf mossed 
and grass,ed over, 
just about four or 
five feet above the 
stream; it was built 
of layers of moss, 
so laid one over the 
other, as to give it 
the shape of the 
crown to an ordi¬ 
nary ‘Derby’ hat. 
The moss was kept 
fresh and growing, 
from a habit which 
the bird had of 
shaking the water 
or water ouzel.— (Hyclrobata Mexicana.) over it from its 
the gray rabbit.— (Lepus sylvalicus.) 
The American Dipper, or Water Ouzel. 
(Ilydrobalu Mexicana.) 
The American Dipper is found along the 
Rocky Mountains, from British America to 
Mexico. It belongs to the same sub-family as 
the Thrushes, the Bluebird, and the common 
Robin, and resembles them in many points of 
structure, though in habits it is widely different. 
The bird, the general form of which is shown in 
said that a mixture of assafeetida and soap will 
have the same effect. The food of this and its 
related species is exclusively vegetable. Sweet 
fruit they are very fond of, and box traps are 
usually baited with sweet apples. Clover and 
other sweet grasses, cabbages and turnips, grain 
of all sorts, and many garden vegetables, are 
their food; their shyness, acute sense of hearing 
the engraving, is lead-colored above, paler be¬ 
neath, with the head and neck of a clove color, 
or sooty brown. The Dipper is remarkable for 
seeking its food under water; it wades or dives 
into the water, and remains beneath the surface 
for a considerable time. There is a similar 
species found in the mountainous countries of 
Europe, the habits of which have been more 
plumage before going in on to the eggs. The 
eggs were four in number, and of a pale white.” 
Large Onions. —A writer upon onion culture 
in England says the best way to get large onions, 
is to tramp and roll beds firmly; the seed is 
then to be sown on the compact surface and 
covered with a rich compost the usual depth. 
