Rural sports
Daniel, William Barker, 1753?-1833. nr 91028866
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The Harepipe is mentioned ia our old Law books, as a device formerly used by Poachers in killing Hares, and in deputations to Game-keepers is described as an engine they are em- powered to seize. The only nets for Hares, which Sportsmen can need, are Hays, and these only for the purpose of taking the Hares when the number is excessive, and wanted to be removed from one cover or part of their manors, to another ; these nets may be purchased at the Shops, they should not be more than forty yards long each, and six feet deep, at this length they are more handy to set, and by wrapping the end of one over the other, the nets may be ex- tended to the required limits ; the party should re- collect to drive with the wind. A Hare will not approach a net that the wind blows from towards her, and it is with difficulty a Hare that has once been hampered, will touch the net again. HARE. 463 The Hare has no enemy more fatal than the IVeasely which will follow and terrify it into a state of absolute imbecility, when it gives itself up without resistance, at the same time making piteous outcries. The Weasel seizes its prey near the head, the bite is mortal, altho’ the wound is so small, that the entrance of the teeth is scarcely perceptible ; a Hare or Rabbit bit in this manner, is never known to recover, but lingers for some time, and dies. The common Weasel is the least animal of this species, the disproportionate length and height of the little atiimals which compose this class, are their chief characteristic, and are alone sufficient to distinguish them from all other carniverous quadru- peds; the length of the Wolf in proportion to its height, is as one and a half to one, that of the Weasel is nearly as four to one; the Weasel never exceeds seven inches in length, .from* the nose to the tail, which is only two inches and a half long, it ends in a point, and adds considerably to the ap- parent length of the body, the height of the Weasel is not above two inches and a half, so that it is almost four times as long as it is high ; the most prevailing colour is a pale tawny brown, resembling cinnamon, on the back, sides, and legs ; the throat and belly white ; beneath the corners of the mouth, on eaeh jaw, is a spot of brown ; the eyes are small, round, and black, the ears broad and lar^e, and from a fold at the lower part, have the appearance of being double ; it has whiskers like a cat, but has two more teeth than any of the cat kind, having thirty two in number, and these well. adapted for tearing and HARE. 469 chewing its food. The motion of the Weasel con- sists of unequal bounds or leaps, and in climbing a tree it gains a height of some feet from the ground, by a single spring ; in the same precipitate manner it jumps upon its prey, and possessing great flex- ibility of body, easily evades the attempts of much stronger animals to seize it. We are told that an Eagle having pounced upon a Weasel, mounted into the air with it, and was soon after observed to be in great distress ; the little animal had extricated itself so much from the Eagle’s hold, as to be able to fasten upon the throat, which presently brought the Eagle to the ground, and gave the Weasel an opportunity of escaping. Its activity is remarkable, and it will run up the sides of a wall with such facility, that no place is secure from it. The Wea- sel always preys in silence, and never utters any cry, except when it is struck, when it expresses resentment or pain, by a rough kind of squeaking. It is useful to the Farmer in winter, by clearing his barns and granaries of rats and mice ; more slender and nimble than the Cat, it presents a more deadly foe, as it can pursue them into their holes, where it kills them after a very short, if any, resistance. Into the Pigeon-house it is sometimes a most un- welcome intruder, as it spares neither eggs nor young ones. In Summer, it ventures at a distance from its usual haunts ; is frequently found by the side of water, near Corn-mills, and is almost sure to follow, wherever a swarm of Rats occupy any place. The Female brings forth in the Spring, and takes great pains for the comfort of her young, by pre- 47° HARE. paring a bed for them of straw, hay, leaves, and moss. They have from three to five at a litter, which are born blind, but they soon acquire both sight and strength to follow their Dam in her excursions. The Weasel sleeps in its hole during the greater part of the Day, and Evening is the chief time w'hen it begins its depredations; it then may be seen stealing from its retreat, and creeping about in search of prey, which 'extends to all the Eggs it can meet with, and it not unfrequently destroys the Bird that tries to defend them. If it enters the Henroost, the Chickens are sure to fall victims; it does not there often attack the Cocks or old Hens, nor does it devour what it kills on the spot, but drags it off to eat at leisure. The Weasel’s appetite for animal food is insatiable, and never forsakes it, all the pro- duce of its plunder it conveys to its hiding-place, and will not touch it, until it begins to putrefy. The odour of the Weasel is very strong, and is the most offensive in Summer time, or when irritated or pursued. The following incident, related by Buffon, shews that the Weasel has a natural at- tachment to what is corrupt, and even delights in the midst of putrid effluvia : “ In my Neighbourhood a Weasel and three young ones were taken from the putrid carcase of a Wolf, which was hung up by the hind legs as a terror to others; and in the throat of this animal, had the Weasel made a nest of leaves and herbage for the accommodation of her Offspring.” HARE. 471 < Notwithstanding the report of its being so wild when kept in a Cage, as to be in -a continual state of agitation, and so shy of any person approaching to look at it, as to hide itself in the wool or hay given it for its Bed, and of its constantly refusing to eat in the presence of any one ; two instances are given by Buffon, of its being tamed : (after his having at one time asserted the impossibility of bringing the Weasel into any, degree of subjection,) the one was of a Lady who tried the experiment upon a young Weasel taken in her garden, which soon learned to recognize and lick the hand from which it received its food, and became as familiar and frolicksome as a Dog or a Squirrel ; for the first two or three days it was fed with warm milk, of which it was very fond, and afterwards with veal, beef, or mutton : the other was, of a Gentleman who trained a young Weasel so completely, that it follow'ed him wherever he went, and would distinguish his voice, and spring over other persons to get to him ; he describes its motions as very active, and its curiosity as very lively. • The method used in taming them, is to stroke them often and gently upon the back, and to threaten and even beat them when they bite. They are fed with milk, boiled flesh, and water. Aldrovandus expressly asserts, that Weasels are readily tamed, and when • tamed, remarkably playful ; adding at the same time, from Cardan, that their teeth should be rubbed with Garlicky after which they will not bite. If these facts can be well established by future experiments, the Weasel may prove a very beneficial substitute for the Cat. Could it be rendered do- I 47^ HARE. mestic, its services might be very great in clearing Ships and other places from the number of Rats with which they are frequently over run, by the ease with which it would follow them into their closest recesses. The Stoat f which is equally agile and mischievous with the Weasel in the pursuit and destruction of the Hare, and all other sorts of game, poultry, and eggs, has, from its habits and the small difference in shape from the Weasel, been often described under the same denomination. Its height is about two inches ; the tail five and a half, very hairy, and at the point tipped with black ; the edges of the ears and ends of the toes are of a yellowish white ; in other respects, it perfectly resembles the Weasel in colour and in form. In the most Northern parts of Europe, the Stoat regularly changes its colour in winter, and becomes perfectly white, except the end of the tail, which remains invariably black. It is then called th^Ernime', the fur is valuable, and is sold in the country where caught, from two to three pounds sterling per hundred. The animal is either taken in trapSy made of two flat stones, or shot with blunt arrows. The Stoat is sometimes found white during the winter season in Great Britain, and is then com- monly called the White Weasel, Its fur, however, having neither the thickness, the closeness, or the whifeness of those which come from Siberia, is, with us, of little value. HARE. 473 In the Natural history of Norway, by Pontop- pidan, are these remarks upon the Stoat or Ermine. In Norway, the Ermine lives among the Rocks ; his Skin is white, except the tail, which is tipped with black. The Furs of Norway and Lapland, preserve their whiteness better than those of Russia, which soon acquire a yellowish cast ; and upon this account the former are in greater request even at Petersburg. The Ermine catches Mice, like the Cat, and when practicable, carries off his prey. He is peculiarly fond of eggs, and when the sea is calm, he swims over to the Islands which lie near the coast of Norway, where there are vast quantities of sea Fowls. It is alledged, that when the Female brings forth on an Island, she conducts her young to the continent, upon a piece of wood, piloting it with her snout. This animal, although small, kills those of a much larger size, as the Rein Deer and Bear. He jumps into one of their Ears when they are asleep, and adheres so fast by his teeth, that the creatures cannot disengage him. Fie likewise sur- prises Eagles and Heathcocks, by fixing on them, and never quitting them, even when they mount in the air, until the loss of blood makes them fall down.” To destroy these worst of all four-footed Vermin to Game in its infant state, the following mode is recommended : provide small square-made Steel traps, with a small chain and iron peg to fix them down ; get two drachms of Musky shoot some small birds, and dip the tail of these birds in the Musk; 3 ^ VOL. I. 474 HARE. tie one on the plate of each trap, and set it in the hedges, or where it is suspected they frequent ; this will soon reduce the number, should it be ever so considerable ; if it so happen, that no Musk is immediately to be got, the trap must be baited with a piece of a Rabbit ; and it should be remembered, that this bait cannot be too stale. Of Birds, the common Buzzard or Puttock, and the Brown Owl, are most to be guarded against; they feed principally in the twilight both of morn and eve, and make great havock amongst the Leverets. They are easily caught with a young Rabbit for a bait, especially the Buzzard, if the place where he perches be found, for he keeps his haunt regularly, and will sit for hours together upon the same spot. A Roach is also a good bait for the Puttock. Another way to take him is with a middle-sized square steel trap, baited with fresh bullocks lights ; the jaws of the trap must be lightly covered with moss, and wild or tame Pidgeons feathers scattered round ; the trap must be pegged down. To catch the Brozvn Owl, (the most destructive of winged Vermin,) at the end of a riding or avenue in a wood ; in boggy places, or in a field between two covers upon a rising ground, fix a post about seven feet high, with a Groove to let a small steel trap into it, as is mentioned for the taking of the Martin, which will soon reduce their numbers;, ; [ 475 ] Statutes relating to Hares. By the Statute 13 Ric. a. c. 13. no person not qualified, ut antet shall keep a Greyhound, Hound, &c. to destroy Hares, or other gentleman’s game, on pain of a year’s imprisonment. By the Stat. 14. Hen. 8. c. 10. Justices of Peace at Sessions may inquire of those who trace Hares in snow, who shall pay six shillings and eightpence to the King. By the Stat. i. Jac. 27. any convict, by confession or two witnesses, before two Justices of Peace, for taking Hares by guns, snares, tracing in snow, &c. shall be committed for three months without bail, unless he pay to the poor twenty shillings for every Hare, &c. or in a month after commitment, shall give surety of twenty pounds to two Justices of Peace, not to offend more. And by 5 Ann. c. 14. any Justice, and Lord within his manor, may take away such Hare, &c. None shall sell, or buy to sell, any Hare, on pain of Ten pounds, a moiety to the Prosecutor, a moiety to the Poor, i Jac. 1. Stat. i. c. 13. And any not having ten pounds per annum in- heritance, thirty pounds per annum for life, two 3 47^ STATUTES RELATING TO HARES. hundred pounds in goods, or the son of an esquire, and convicted for keeping- a Greyhound, &c. to de- stroy Hares, &c. shall be committed, &c. unless he pay forty shillings to the poor, i Jac. i. Stat. i. c. 13. No person shall set or use any Snares, &c. for Hares, &c. on penalty of ten shillings, and com- pensation to the party injured, 22 & 23 Car. 2. c. 25. Persons killing any Hare, &c. in the night, viz. between the hours of seven at night and six in the morning, from the twelfth of October to the twelfth of February, and between the hours of nine at night, and four in the morning, from the twelfth of Fe- bruary to the twelfth of October, shall forfeit for the first offence, any sum not exceeding twenty pounds, nor less than ten pounds ; for the second offence, not more than thirty pounds, nor less than twenty pounds ; and for the third, and every sub- sequent offence, fifty pounds ; (See further Statutes for the preservation of Game, p. 314.) Adjudged Cases. If a qualified person go a hunting, and kill many Hares on the same day, he would forfeit only 07ie five pounds, for it is but one offence ; but if a man keep Dogs, and go a hunting several days, and kill Flares, and it be laid that he such a day kept Dogs, and killed, &c. and then again such a day, &c. by laying thus severally, the offence is severed, and he shall forfeit five pounds for each offence. T. 10 Ann. 2 STATUTES RELATING TO HARES. 477 Q.V. Matthews. So, when on the same day, the Defendant was convicted of having kept a Grey- hound, &c. and killed several Hares at several places, it was adjudged by the Court, that this being all done on the same day, was only one otFence, for this Statute does not give five pounds for every Hare ; but only says, if any unqualified person shall keep or use any Greyhound, or the like, to kill and de- stroy the game, he shall forfeit five pounds. Marriot & Shaw, Comyjis Rep. 274. So where several persons offend, by going and killing a Hare, it has been determined that only one penalty can be recovered, though the Plaintiff has his election to sue either, a Term. Rep. 713. No indictment will lie for killing a Hare, for the Statute having appointed a summary proceed- ing before Justices of the Peace, the particular re- medy must be pursued. Rex v. Buck, 2 Strang. 679. If a man in hunting starts a hare upon his own ground, and follows and kills it in the ground of another, yet still the Hare is his own, because of the fresh pursuit ; hut if a man starts a Hare upon another person’s ground, and hunts and kills it there, he is subject to an action. Lord Raym. 251. In debt for the penalty of five pounds for killing a Hare, (with no other Count,) Defendant may bring penalty and costs into Court. Webb v. Punter, 2 Str. 1217. Stock v. Eagle, 2 Blacks. 1052. 47^ STATUTES RELATING TO HARES. The following case came a short time since be- fore a respectable Magistrate at Belfont, Middlesex. Two Gentlemen dined at Hampton, with one of the keepers of Hampton Court Park ; the latter having reason to expect Poachers in the Park, left them, and left behind likewise with them a terrier, which belonged to him, and which was sleeping in the room where they had dined ; on leaving the Inn, they were requested by the Landlord to leave the Game- keepers dog at his house in their way home ; to this they consented, and passing through a pad- doek belonging to Bushy Park, the Terrier leaped upon a Hare on her form, and having killed it, one of the Gentlemen immediately took it up, and proceeded along with it on his shoulder ; he ’ pre- sently afterwards met one of the keepers of Bushy Park, who, after taking their address, laid an in- formation against them before the above Magistrate ; two questions seemed to arise from the fact stated by the keeper ; first, whether the Hare was found in the possession of A. aided by B. ? secondly, whe- ther the Hare was killed in such a manner as to render A. and B. liable to be punished as Poachers ? The Hare was granted to be in their possession, which warranted the Magistrate in fining A. (who had the Hare,) twenty pounds, and B. ten pounds, but the poaching could not be proved, as the keeper swore he left his Dog by accident, and the Land- lord said he requested them to take the Terrier with them, which they had no previous intention of doing. STATUTES RELATING TO HARES. 479 Conviction. The Conviction shall be quashed, if it does not shew that the Hare, &c. was found upon the party. Mod. Ca. 57. E. 37. G. 3. King V. Harris. This was a* con- viction on the Stat. I. J. c. 2,7. for killing two Hares with a gun. The conviction after setting forth the information, summons, plea, and the evidence, con- cluded thus : “ whereupon all and singular the premises being seen, and fully understood, &c, it appears to us the said Justices, that the said A. Harris is guilty of the offence charged upon him, in and by the said information, &c. according to the form of the Statute, in such case made and provided.” The Defendant's Counsel purposed to take several objections to this conviction : first, that the above Stat. of i J. c. I'j. was in this respect virtually repealed by <11 & 23 Car. 2. c. 25. On a question being then put by the Court, whether the conviction was not informal for want of an adjudication ? — Lord Kenyon, Chief Justice, said: without agitating the question respecting the repeal of the Statute of James, which need not be dis- cussed in this case, I am of opinion, that the con- viction cannot be supported for want of an adjudi- cation, therefore without considering the other point concerning the virtual repeal of the Statute of James, which I desire to leave untouched, I am clearly of opinion, that this conviction cannot be supported. 7 Term Rep, 23?. 480 STATUTES RELATING TO HARES. Rex v. Blundell. A prosecution was commenced againt the Defendant, for shooting at, and destroy- ing game, without license or certificate ; but it was proved, that he went out for the purpose of shoot- ing Rabbits only, but that the Dogs started a Hare, at which one of the party shot ; but at the same time it was proved, that the Defendant had no gun whatever, nor did any one of the Dogs belong to him, wherefore the Jury gave their verdict for the Defendant. The Defendant was convicted on the 5 c. 14. s. 4. for keeping a Greyhound, and killing four Hares, not being qualified, but it was by his own confession, and not upon the oath of any cre- dible witness, as this statute directs. Now if the forfeiture of five pounds relating to the conviction, is not according to the Statute, then nothing is forfeited, and the Justice of Peace has no power in the case. But Adjudged, that the confession of the offender is within the intention, though not within the letter of the act, and it is the strongest evidence against the person confessing, therefore, when a Justice convicts upon a stronger evidence than is required by the Statute, such evidence must be good. Rex v. Nelson. Hil. T. g Geo, I. B. R. [ 48i ] i LINY observes upon the fruitfulness of Animals, that Nature has kindly befriended Man, by causing those to be most prolific, that possess the least power of mischief, and are the properest for his food. The instance he produces is the Pigeon, which from one pair, may increase in four years to 14,760. Rabbits will breed at six months old, bear seven times annually, and bring five young ones each time : supposing this to happen regularly during the same space of four years, and that three of the five young, at each kindle, are females^ the increase will be 478,062. The calculation has been made from eight young at each of the seven kindles, amounting to 1,274,840: but that is much too high, for the wild Rabbit never was known to have eight at two successive kindles, and perhaps five is beyond the fair average. Under the first state- ment, being overstocked with these animals might justly be feared ; but Man, birds, and beasts of prey, make great devastation among them. The Rabbit affects a temperate and warm climate, and bears great cold with difficulty. In Sweden they are obliged to be kept in houses. Spain is their native country. The Island of Minorca is very re- markable for its growth of Rabbits, but their flesh VOL. I. 30 RABBIT. 482 is SO rank, that instead of serving as food, they are an incumbrance to the people inhabiting it ; who, to prevent the land from being over-run by them, are called upon by the Governor, to give their assistance two days in every j^ear to destroy them. Many parts of England abound with them. Lin- colnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire, where the soil is sandy, are the Counties in which they are most plentiful, from whence immense numbers are brought for the supply of the London market. In Yorkshire they have many Warrens, and the Rabbits supply the markets of Hull, York, and the neighbouring Towns, and the skins are sold to the Furriers at Stanford Bridge, and Malton, who sell their wool to the Hat Manufactories of London and Manchester. Their Fur is a material much used in making hats, and the English possess a peculiar mode of cutting the Fur from the Pelt. The flesh of the Rabbit is very good ; but the most deli- cious are those in covers, where the surrounding fields present a choice of food, which does not happen to those in Warrens, where no turnips are sown for them, and where their support is chiefly mosses, and the Carex grass. The Rabbit on level ground, finds it difficult to make its burrow, the mould is all to be thrown upward to the surface ; on the contrary, against the side of a steep hill, the Rabbit has no difficulty to encounter ; the declivity affords a ready fall for the earth, his work is all dozen hill, and there are per- haps, few sandy, or other loose soiled hills, which would not be more profitable as a Rabbit Warren, RABBIT. 483 than under any other course of husbandry. In situa- tions where the ground^ as well as the soil, is suitable to Rabbit Warrens, and where sufEeient extent of contiguous and unseparate property can be procured, it may be most profitably stocked with Rabbits ; for instance (says Mr. Marshall), the hide of a Bullock (of some breeds) is not worth more than one twentieth of the carcass ; the skin of a sheep may, in full wool, be worth from a sixth to a tenth of its carcass ; but the Fur of the Rabbit is worth twice the whole value of the carcass ; therefore, supposing the Rabbit to eonsume a quantity of food, in proportion to the size of its body, it is, on the prineiple offered, a species of stock nearly three times as valuable as either Cattle or Sheep.”* Rabbits are, moreover, unquestionably the kind of stoek to make the finest Turf, they bite closer, and the best turf for gardens, is that taken from Warrens. \ In Yorkshire, the ground appropriated on the TVolds for Warrens, is sometimes worth ten or twelve shillings an Acre, but then it sustains Sheep as well as Rabbits ; there is a disadvantage, however, in stoeking a rich soil with Rabbits ; a flush of grass, after a dry season, is found to throw them into a scouring, which sometimes carries off great numbers. Near Driffield are two large War- rens, where the surface is a dead flat, they are not- * Rural Economy of Torkshtre, Vol. ii. p, 223. But query if there as not somewhat of fallacy in this reasoning. RABBIT. 484 withstanding productive. In stocking a Warren, whether flat or hilly, artificial .burrows are made to preserve the Rabbits from' vermin, until they can form their own ; these artificial burrows are made with an Augur ^ of a diameter equal to the size of the animal, and in level Warrens, may from time to time be found useful. Until of late years, the grey Rabbit was the only species ; at present, the siher haired Rabbit is sought after, and has within the few last years, been introduced into most Warrens. The skin of the grey Rabbit is cut from the Pelt, as a material for the manufacture of Hats, whereas, that of the silver haired one is dressed as Fur, which, it is said, is exported principally to the East Indies. The colour is a bl^ck ground, thickly interspersed with single white hairs ; the skins of the latter sell about five shillings a dozen higher than those of the com- mon sort, a sufficient inducement for the preference ; sometimes the skins and carcasses of the common sort are sold together, the average price for the season, about two shillings a couple ; for carcasses anly^ in the neighbourhood of Warrens, eight to ten pence a couple. With respect to the value of the Rabbit in ancient, compared to what it bears in modern times, in an account of the prices of provisions, &c. at the In- stallation feast of Ralph de Borne, Abbot of St. Austins, Canterbury, A. D. 1309, (contained in the fourth volume of Dr. Henry’s sbis History of RABBIT. 485 Great Britain,) we have among others, the following articles. £, s. d. 600 Rabbits, 15 o o Partridges, Mallards, Bitterns, Larks, 18 o o 200 Pigs, 500 As Partridges are here associated wkh other Birds, and no mention made of their number, their price in these times, cannot be ascertained ; but a Rabbit appears to have been sold at the same price as a Pig, viz. sixpence each. Their relative value has con- siderably altered in the interval, between that day and the present. The accuracy of persons taking stock, upon the Warren farms, betwixt an incoming and outgoing tenant, is matter of wonder ; they attend for some days the appearance of the Rabbits, at the mouths of their burrows, at dusk of eve, and earliest dawn (for in the middle of the day the Rabbits keep in their holes), and the judgment formed from this ocular proof of the apparent number, is said to be so well calculated, that upon the destruc- tion of many Warrens, it has been established be- yond doubt or controversy, to have been extremely exact. Warren Farmers are sometimes liable to great losses, from an Epidemical disorder amongst the Rabbits. The Spring and Summer of 1798 were so favourable to the breeding of Rabbits, that the War- RABBIT. 486 rens in all parts were judged to have never been more plentifully stocked, but great numbers of the young cnes perished by a disorder, supposed to be pro- duced by the continued wet in the Autumn. It was infectious, and the first symptom was a swelling in the glands of the wec/r, the rot ensued, and death soon followed, A Sussex Gentleman, in the neighbourhood of Chichester, has tried the experiment of cutting Rab- bits, which much increases their size, so that at six months old, when prepared for the spit, they have exceeded sLv pounds and a half in weight. He describes it as a most profitable practice ; the ope- ration is performed when six or seven weeks old, and out of three hundred, he never lost one. For proof of the utility, he has frequently left one or two of a litter in their natural state, and has uni- formly found, that those which were cut, at seven or eight months old, were nearly double the weight of the others, altho’ partaking of exactly the same food, and all running about together. This has likewise been tried on an extensive Warren, with the same prospect of success and utility ; and it is an improvement well worth the early attention of those concerned in the protection, increase, and bulk of the animal. Notwithstanding the similarity between the Hare and the Rabbit, Nature has placed an inseparable bar to their complete resemblance, in not allowing the intermixture, to which they mutually discover the extremest aversion ; there is moreover a wide RABBIT. 487 difference in their habits and propensities : the Rab- bit lives in holes in the Earth,- it brings forth its young, and retires from the approach of danger ; whilst the Hare prefers the fields, and trusts to its speed for safety. This management of the Rabbit is alone sufficient to prove it superior in sagacity to the Hare. The structure of both is the same, and equally enables them to dig retreats under ground: both are equally timid, but the talents of the one being weaker than those of the other, he contents him- self with a Seat upon the surface of the ground, where he remains perpetually exposed, while the Rabbit, endowed with superior instinct, digs for him- self an Asylum in the Earth. Their labour is un- questionably the effect of forecast, since domestic Rabbits never give themselves the trouble of digging ; from the same forecast domestic Birds dispense with building Nests, being equally sheltered from the inconveniences and dangers to which wild Birds and wild Rabbits are continually liable. It has often been remarked, that when a Warren Is attempted to be replenished with domestic Rabbits, both they and their offspring remain, like the Hares, upon the sur- face ; and that they never begin to dig holes for their protection, until after enduring many hardships, and having passed through several generations. Doctor Darwin, speaking of the instinct of Ani- mals in giving notes of alarm to each other, observes, that as Rabbits cannot easily articulate sounds, and are formed into societies that live under ground, they have a very peculiar method of giving alarm. When danger is threatened, they thump on the earth RABBIT. 488 with one of their hinder feet, and produce a sound, capable of being heard a great way by animals near the surface, which would seem to be an artificial Signal, both from its singularity, and its aptness to the creature’s situation. The Rabbits on the Island of Sor, near Senegal, have white flesh and are well tasted, but do not burrow ; so that we may suspect their digging themselves holes in this cold climate, is an acquired art, as well as their note of alarm. The Rabbit lives to the age of eight or nine years, and is capable of procreating at five or six months, and goes with young thirty or thirty-one days. In consequence of the male’s unnatural dislike to its offspring, the Doe frequently kindles out of the Warren ; she scratches a small burrow about two feet deep, where she prepares a bed for her young, composed of the Fur plucked from her own body, and some blades of grass, which the Warreners call the Rabbit’s nest ; here she suckles (which she always does at early morn or late in the evening) and attends them for sir weeks ; and it is pretended that when she leaves her nest to procure food, the hole, in order to preserve the young from vermin, is stopped with earth diluted with her own urine ; the fact however is, that they close the earth artifi- cially with their hind parts, so as to render it diffi- cult to find the aperture, but use no such curious cement ; the hole is left open at about three weeks end, and when the young are able to go out and ^ feed on the grass ; at six weeks old, she conducts the young to the Warren, they are then safe from the Buck, who caresses them. 4 RABBIT. 489 The Wold Warreners catch their Rabbits with Fold nets, with Spring nets, and with Tipes” a species of trap. The Fold nets are set about midnight,' the burrows and the feeding grounds ; the Rabbits being driven in with Dogs, and kept inclosed in the Fold until morning. The Spring net is generally laid round a Hay- stack, or other object of inducement for Rabbits to collect in numbers. The Tipe or trap is a more modern invention ; it consists of a large pit or Cistern, covered with a floor, with a small trap door, nicely balance'd, near its centre, into which the Rabbits are led by a narrow Meuse. It used to be set by a Hay-stack, but since turnips are now grown for the winter iood.^ in an inclosure within the Warren, the trap is placed within the wall of this inclosure. For a night or two the Rabbits are suffered to go through the meuse, and over the trap, that they may be familiarized to where the turnips are grown, after that the trap door is unbarred, and the number wanted are taken. In emptying th^ Cistern^ the Rabbits are culled^ the fat ones are slaughtered, and the others-turned upon the Turnips to improve. At the close of the Season the Bucks and Does are sorted in a similar way ; one male is considered as sufficient for six or seven females^ and the nearer VOL. I, 3 R 490 RABBIT. they can be brought to this proportion, the greater produce oi young may be expected. Great precaution is needful in using these traps ; should too many Rabbits be admitted at once, and the Cistern be kept closely covered for a few hours only, suffocation from intense heat, takes place, and the carcasses at least, are spoiled ; many thousand carcasses have been .wasted through this means ; the traps are therefore carefully watched, and when the required number are caught, the Meuse is stopt, or the trap door fastened. Five or six hundred couples have not unfrequently been killed in one night, and there was’once an instanee in the Driffield Warrens, of fifteen hundred couple being slaugh- tered. Rabbits are also taken with a Ferret ; this ani- / mal is a native of Africa, and was originally brought into Spain (whence the rest of Europe has been supplied), to free that country from the multitudes of Rabbits, with which it was over run. Its length is about fourteen inches, that of the tail, five, its nose is sharper than that of the Weasel or the Foumart ; its Ears are round, the Eyes red and fiery, and the eolour of the whole body is a very pale yellow ; the Ferret breeds twice in a year, unless it devours its offspring, which it sometimes docs as soon as brought forth, it then has three litters ; the Ferret goes with young slv weeks, and has generally six or seven young, which are blind a month, and after two months ]&^E]R]RIET. t3T O AT, M Ooia.rff3..'>k>0 X'm.Ze’’^- ix:'., ■'4- '■ •'■ k- ,V'' ■ . 1 :■-'. '. '< \ ' ^ 01.ti.-T. V . ■ *^. ■&'■•' =^- '-'if- 3 •< RABBIT. 491 ( more are fit for service ; they should be kept in tubs, or small boxes, where they can be supplied with plenty of clean straw, as they are offensive and smell strong* ; before you use, do not feed them, for with their bellies full, they will not hunt, but sleep in th6 burrows for hours. The Ferret is the natural enemy to the Rabbit, insomuch, that if a dead Rabbit be laid before a young Ferret, it instantly seizes upon it, although it has never seen one before ; if shewn a living Rabbit, the Ferret is still more eager, fastens on the neck, winds itself round and sucks the blood until satiated ; notwithstanding, the Ferret is apt to lose its savage nature, unles the breed is crossed with the Polecat, which the warreners frequently do, and the produce is of a much darker colour, and partaking of that of the sire. When the young Rabbits are about half grown, the Ferret is used with a line round him, and upon seizing one, he is drawn gently back, and holds the Rabbit in~his mouth; but this can only be done where the holes have few angles, and lie shallow from the surface. In the winter, the Ferret is coped, or muzzled, and a small bell tied round his neck ; and after the holes are as silently as possible covered with Purse nets, called Flans, the Ferret should be put in, the windzi;ard side of the burrows, where the person should also place himself, and observe the utmost silence, otherwise the Rabbits will retreat to their lower earths, and be scratched to death before they will bolt. Hai/ nets are however chiefly used by experienced Warreners, who are loth to turn Ferrets* into the burrows, which invariably give the 49^ RABBIT. Rabbits a dislike to them. The time these nets are set, is at day break, and they let them remain till half an hour before Sun rise ; and again from about half an hour before Sun set, until dark night. The Warreners drive to the Nets with the wind, if possible ; a side wind will do, but nothing is done if the wind blows over the Net into the Creature’s face, (this is still more observable in catching Hares •with HaySf and proceeds from their acute sense of smelling.) A dog, called a Lurcher, less and shorter than the Greyhound, with rough hair, is often used to force the Rabbits into the Hays : these dogs are astonishingly sagacious, and with the improvement of the Warrencr’s training, render him most essential service ; they are sometimes taught to watch the Rabbits when out at feed, where they dart on them without the least noise, and carry them one by one to their master, who waits in some convenient spot to receive the booty ; with two of these dogs, a man in an evening, will be loaded with the Rabbits which they will take. At Lord Montrath’s, in Norfolk, where there was formerly an abundance of Hares, these Lurchers were in particular excellence, and by their means the Hares were taken in Hays, and removed wherever wanted with little trouble, and without injury. This species of Dog is so de-* structive when in improper hands, and used for illicit practices, that it is with great propriety pro-» scribed, and the breed is nearly extinct. It is said that sounding a Trumpet in the burrows, will make the Rabbit start from them ; and some persons smoke the holes with Brimstone and Qr- RABBIT. 