200 
RODENTS. 
enormous, and the destruction it inflicts so great, that in some districts it has 
actually been a question whether the colonists should not vacate the country rather 
than attempt to fight against the plague. The average number of rabbit skins 
exported from New Zealand is now twelve millions. 
in other Tame rabbits were introduced into the island of Porto Santo, 
countries, near Madeira, in the year 1418 or 1419, and their descendants have 
now formed a breed distinguished by their small size, the reddish colour of the fur 
of the upper-parts, and the grey tints of that below. So different, indeed, are these 
rabbits from the ordinary kind, that the two kinds will not even breed together; 
and if the history of the Porto Santo race were not known, it would undoubtedly 
be regarded as a distinct species. Tame rabbits which have run wild in Jamaica 
and the Falkland Islands have not reverted to the ordinary wild form, but still 
exhibit distinct traces of their origin. Introduced rabbits are also numerous in 
Teneriffe and the Crozet Islands. In Teneriffe, where the breed is small, they do 
not burrow, but live in crannies among the rocks. 
Domesticated The rabbit has long been kept in a domesticated state, in which 
Rabbits. it varies not only in colour but likewise in size, in the length of the 
fur, in the form and direction of the ears, and also to some extent in the conforma¬ 
tion of the skull. The usual colours are brown, fawn, reddish brown, or black, more 
or less mingled with white; and there is also an albino race with pink eyes. 
Lop-Eared Among the most remarkable changes produced by domestication 
Breeds. i s the assumption of a pendent position by one or both ears, which 
become greatly enlarged, accompanied by a modification in the skull. Whereas in 
the ordinary wild rabbit the length of the 
ears from tip to tip when extended is 
rather less than 8 inches, and the breadth 
of each not more than 2 inches; a “ lop- 
ear” has been exhibited in which these 
dimensions were respectively 23 and 5| 
inches. The weight of these rabbits is, 
moreover, frequently from 8 to 10 lbs.; 
while, according to Mr. Darwin, it has been 
known to reach 18 lbs. When only one 
ear hangs down the rabbit is called a “half- 
lop ” ; and in some cases this pendent ear is 
larger than the upright one. Many lop- 
eared rabbits have large dewlaps, or folds 
of skin beneath the throat. Neither whole nor half-lops breed at all truly; and in 
all lop-eared rabbits the skull is proportionately longer than in the wild race. 
Angora The Angora breed is readily distinguished by the length and 
fineness of its fur, which is even of considerable length on the soles 
of the feet. Mr. Darwin states that these rabbits are more sociable in disposition 
than the other domestic breeds; and that the males do not exhibit that tendency 
to destroy their offspring which is so characteristic of the rest, 
other Breeds The hare-coloured or Belgian rabbit differs mainly from other 
large breeds by its colour; while other strains which breed true to 
lop-eared rabbit. 
