17 APRIL 1947, Page 17

Snt,—I read Mr. Lockley's article on rabbits with astonishment. With

the experience which all forestry people have of rabbits, I admit readily they are an unmitigated curse both to forestry and agriculture. I admit also that, where warrening is possible, especially in the sandy eastern counties, rabbits can be eliminated without traps and snares. In Scotland and other rocky and wooded countries, however, you can neither dig up rocks nor trees, and if we had not traps and snares rabbits would soon become a serious danger. Actually during the war, when, owing to absence of trappers, there were not sufficient skilled men, rabbits increased to an enormous extent in many districts in ground where no warrening could be done. To abolish traps and snares would merely result in a great increase of the rabbit stock to the great prejudice of agriculture. I have had over fifty years' experi- ence of killing rabbits, and know no effective way of keeping them down in Perthshire except trapping and snaring.—Yours truly,