

FANCIERS’ 
JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
233 

Hind wid Small Let Department. 
(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
A SHORT EXPERIENCE WITH RABBITS. 
My passion for pets led mea short time ago to buy a 
. pair of Angora rabbits, partly for my own gratification, but 
largely for the amusement of my children. I spent a day 
in making hutches for them, and prided myself on having 
made such as were comfortable, convenient, and well adap- 
ted to the wants of the pets. I thought I had read all the 
cautions, and had thoroughly protected myself against both 
cats and rats, and hoped by careful painstaking and close 
attention to keep them in good health, and make them pro- 
ductive. 
I have had them just three days. Imagine my mortifica- 
tion when my family found both of them this cold March 
morning lying outside of their hutches dead, the gates of 
the hutches rudely and violently torn open, the wires of the 
fronts twisted and bent, and the gates and roofs of the 
hutches gnawed almost through. 
What did it all? Some stray cur, too thievish to come 
around in the daytime to make his attack. I had made no 
provision for protection against dogs, particularly that part 
of the race which seems created for no purpose whatever, 
unless it be to wander around at night, the embodiment of 
all that is malicious and devilish, worrying cats and tear- 
ing up flower-beds. 
I want the dog that did the mischief; I will pay more 
for him than he is worth to any one else. I would like to 
keep rabbits again; I have a decided fancy for them; but I 
cannot do it as long as some one else owns that dog. I 
promise, too, that if that dog gets into my possession, he 
shall not worry any one else’s rabbits. I have no spite 
against him, that is, not in general, but I don’t think he is 
filling his proper place. If dogs have their sphere, it is 
evident, that he either does not understand it, or at least is 
not in his proper place, and it is well that he should, for 
the public good know it, and the sooner the better. Had 
he eaten my pets, I could reconcile myself to the loss, on 
the ground of its being nature and instinct, to appease the 
cravings of hunger; but there is not the mark of a tooth 
anywhere to be seen on them, showing that it was purely a 
case of malice, as they were evidently frightened to death, 
and then dragged from-their hutches and left lying on the 
ground close by. 
The point, however, which I wish to make in this article, 
is one that I have not before seen noticed anywhere. It is 
this: Unless you can protect yourself against the incursions 
of dogs, particularly at night, it is useless to think of at- 
tempting to keep rabbits. Closing up the hutches carefully 
at night will not prevent their death, for they are almost as 
liable to die of fright or excitement, as they are from the 
wounds of an enemy. To those, therefore, who propose 
keeping rabbits, either as pets, or for profit, it is well to 
give this word of caution: Protect yourself not only against 
cats and rats, but against dogs as well. AY. NR. 
Lock Haven, Pa. 



pes= A Nimrod in Adams County, Pa., reports that during 
the last hunting season he shot 124 gray squirrels, 9 rabbits, 
2 ground hogs, 12 pheasants, and 6 crows, also a very large 
black snake; and at another time three very large copper- 
head snakes at one shot. 

— 
(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
THE BLACK MARTIN. 
Mr. Epiror. 
In No. 8, page 123, of the Journal I find a few questions 
in regard to the Black Martin which seem to be exactly 
what I would have been glad to know last spring, while 
building several bird-houses, which I intended to be free to 
any or all of the little feathered visitors that might choose 
to gladden our home with their songs during the summer. 
In the first place I set up a pole twenty feet high, on top 
of which I placed a two-room rustic bird-house. In less 
than an hour three or four pairs of common Swallows were 
quarreling for possession, and did some terrible fighting. 
At last, after two or three days, all but two pairs left. 
These remaining pairs continued the conflict until but one 
pair remained. I watched these as they began building 
their nest at once. I had supposed that the partition be- 
tween the rooms was so made that the birds could not pass 
from room to room without coming outside, but in this I 
was mistaken, as they would enter one door and come out of 
the other while at work. On finishing their nest they 
closed up one door completely with mud, straw, &c. This 
satisfied me that where the partitions between the different 
rooms are not completely closed, only one pair of birds will 
occupy one bird-house. In a few days the Swallows were 
sitting; but one morning they were surprised by a swarm 
of Black Martins, who seemed determined to drive out the 
occupants; but the Swallows were game to the last, and 
finally held possession, while the Martins, perched upon the 
surrounding buildings, chattered over their defeat. As Mar- 
tins were what I wanted, I put up a six-room bird-house 
down in the garden. It was hardly up before it was known 
to all the Martins in town, who came flocking to view the 
premises, and seemed generally satisfied. My neighbor 
Burt, just over the fence, as he stood leaning on his hoe, 
watching me, told me that he thought I had them. I 
thought so too, hopefully watching and expecting to see 
them busy carrying housekeeping material ; but not a thing 
would they carry, but kept up a continuous clatter, and 
from early dawn till dark we all enjoyed their social songs. 
All at once away they went. They had hardly left before 
a pair of common Brown Wrens quietly took possession 
and, without any ceremony, began building a nest. It took 
about four days to finish, and I suppose they had begun to 
lay, but, like the Swallows, they too had an assault from 
the Martins (two pairs of them). I expected, of course, to 
see the Wrens eaten up, but they cleaned out the Martins 
in less than fifteen minutes. So my Martins were gone 
again; but, in about hatf an hour, back they came, flanked 
by six pairs more (now eight pairs in all), and with one 
swoop down they come on those poor Wrens, as I supposed ; 
but they did not need one bit of sympathy from any one, for 
they so completely routed the whole army of Martins that 
they reminded me of Don Quixote when he assaulted the 
windmill; and notwithstanding my repeated loss of the 
Martins, I will say right here that I believe that the little 
Brown Wren will whip more pounds of bird of any kind 
than it weighs grains. But to my subject. After the Mar- 
tins had gone again the Bluebirds took up their abode in 
part of the house occupied by the Wrens. They had soon 
completely finished their nests and were hatching when they 
too had a visit from the Martins, but, as usual, our old 
friends were defeated, and they sat gossiping about it all 
around on the housetops. 
