m 
- 29 - 
reva&lod a patch of tobacco* an escape from cultivation whose leaves had 
been gnawed by rabbits, but had proved too bitter to allay starvation? a 
sicicly mat of brown near the lagoon marked a struggling half dead growth 
With other vegetation destroyed the number of rabbits was reduced to those 
that could eke out a precarious existence on the growth of these hardy 
plants. The rabbits oould not increase and the plants were unable to 
mature their growth so that the two forces at work were about in equilibium. 
Elsewhere shrubs denuded of bark standing or fallen to the ground marked 
the only sign of plant life. 
We oome prepared to eliminate the rabbits with one man in our 
jJbfcJL U J f » *** - --- v 
ly delegated for the task and with camp established^ the work began at once. 
The greater number of the animals were shot* the survivors killed by /Oison. 
The destruction of the majority was a simple matter, but the survivors became 
wary nnd it was necessary to hunt them out mercilessly one at a tirao*^ The 
procedure appears heartless / perhapsjbut was of absolute necessity. Left 
unchecked the creatures mi£xt have eked out a preoarious exlstenoe for a 
few years longer, but starvation in silent misery was the inevitable fate 
in store for them ooupled with unending hardship or aotual death for the 
multitude of other creatures associated with them, further so long as 
rabbits remained on jLaysan there was danger of their transport elsewhere* 
with resultant injury to other pleasant spots* of which :nore will t>o said 
later* Pursuit of them was jtherefore; relentless so that nono might remain 
to again finer ease the xaoaiin later years, inuring the thirty-six days for 
