Country Life
BY IAN NIALL tI,ERE is some official concern, I read, about 'e security of rabbit hutches. It may be that i careless and irresponsible person will gild loose his tame rabbits to make good the rabbit population. Conjurers, too, will ire to be careful to look after their top-hats 'ad tail-coats if the law takes account of the fireless liberation of a pet rabbit. I am in favour of this, for I once assisted a conjurer 0 4 Inc stage--a single appearance. Between us ,alarlged to lose the only rabbit the magic „,„` was capable of producing, and the gentle- "44 a seemed to think that I was entirely tPonsible for his loss. That tame rabbits TlicklY interbreed with wild stock I can con- :ha. I used to shoot over a relative's farm w ere a sort of piebald population of rabbits ,14,3,10 be found. They had the blood of a ,'On of pet rabbits that my relative's predeces-
t had turned loose, I shot a number of them, and apart from their colouring they were like any wild rabbit. I imagine the wild strain benefited by the cross, for it counteracted excessive inbreeding. No one in the family would eat these rabbits, however, and they provided fdod for the dogs and cats as did the occasional melanistic rabbit that was snared. Whatever their colour, tame or wild, rabbits are something we can't afford on the land. Those who keep them must see that they do, says at least one peer, and I agree with him.
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