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Show CIIAI'. lV. DOMESTIC RABlll'l'S. lOG · 1 d rabLits often wmg l . 1 11 ij Ena1ish lop-eo;re . J Slb . shape of their s m s. o n exhibited weighmg . , s. ' u lbs or 10 lbs., and one bas _bee . h ly about 31- lbs. rhe o . 'ld b b t weig s on < • d b whereas a full-sized WI ra I 1 -eared rahbits examme . y 11 ea d or skul·l in all tho large op b dth than in the Wlld 1 t' ly to its rea · < • mo 1. s m. uch longer ro a tve. . e folds of skm or 1 loose transveiS rab bit. M. any of themtb rJ avt e which can b e pulled out so as to dewlaps beneath the oa' . 'fheir ears are pro-reach nearly to the ends of thde Ja:~n each side of their l d and hanCJ' ow eel digiously deve ope ' h'b"t l with its two cars, measnr faces. A rabbit has been ox. 1 ~ et~ thor 22 inches in length, from the tip of one to ~ho tip ? b~~ :dth ' In a common wild s 5u mches m Ie . . . t t' and each ear wa 11 th of the two ears, from tip o lp, rabbit I found that the leng 1 17 'ncb. The great weight . 1 d tho breadth on Y 1r 1 1 t was 7% me les, an . . d the immense deve opmen . th 1 ro-er rabb1ts, an b of the body m e a o <. • hich win prizes, and have een of their ears, arc the quahties w carefully selected. . . t" roes called the Belgian 1 d . as 1t 1s some I ' 'rhe hare-co oure , or' 1 . f ·om the other large . . thino- except co our r f rabbit, differs m no o f S th pton a CJ'reat breeder o b M J Young o ou am ' o breeds; u. t £ r. · ' r 1 in all the specimens exa- e that the 1ema es, 1 this kind, m onus m . . d this certainly was be b. h d only SIX mammro' an B p mined by Im, a . h · to my possession. Mr. · · . h t £ males whiC came m . bl . tl case Wit wo e that the number is vana e WI 1 Brent, however, assures me wild rabbit always has other domestic rabbits. Thebbc?t~m~:.arkable from the length 'fhe Ano-ora ra 1 IS re . f' ten mammro. o . the soles of the feet 1s o and fineness of its fur, wh~ch ev~n .onth only one which differs considerable length. Tlns .br~e ~sd t ebe much more sociable 1. · f t IS sal o . in its mental qua Ities, or 1 l h . no wish to destroy Its bb't nd the ma e s ows than other ra 1 s, a . b u .,.ht to me from Moscow, young.9 Two live rabbits ;~re r? sg but with long soft fur, of about the size of the WI ;peCie ' These Moscow rabbits different from that of the ngo:·a. t' the ears two had pink eyes and were sn~'::::~~~le:x~:~r::~ of tho tail, and spots near the nose, the upper . h b . In shOTt they were tho hinder tarsi, which were blaclns - wwn. ' s They are briefly described in the 9 ' J ournal of Horticulture,' 1861, P· , Journal of Horticulture,' 1\'lny 7th, 1861, 380. p. 108. CrrAP. IV. THEIR VARIATION. 107 coloured nearly like the so-called Himalayan rabuits, presently to be described, a.nd differed from them only in the character of their fur. There are two other breeds which come true to colour, but differ in no other respect, namely silver-greys and chinchillas. Lastly, the Nicard or Dutch rabbit may be mentioned, which varies in colour, and is rema.rkable from its small size, some specimens weighing only It lb.; rabbits of this breed make excellent nurses for other and more delicate kinds.10 Certain characters arc remarkably fluctuating, or a.re very feebly transmitted by domestic rabbits : thus, one breeder tells me that with the smaller kinds he has hardly ever raised a whole litter of the same colour : with the large lopeared breeds "it is impossible," says a groat judge,11 "to breed true to colour, but by judicious crossing a great deal may be done towards it,. The fancier should know how his does are bred, that is, the colour of their parents." Nevertheless, cm·tain colours, as we shall presently see, are transmitted truly. The dewlap is not strictly inherited. Lop·eared rabbitE~, with their ears hanging flat clown on each side of the face, do not transmit this character at all truly. Mr. Delamer remarks that, "with fancy rabbits, when both the parents are perfectly formed, have model ears, and are handsomely marked, their progeny do not invariably turn out the same." When one parent, or even both, are oar-laps, that is, have their ears sticking out at right angles, or when one parent or both are half-lops, that is, have only one ear dependent, there is nearly as good a chance of the progeny having both ears full-lop, as if both parents had been thus characterized. But I am informed, if both parents have upright ears, there is hardly a chance of a full-lop. In some half-lops the ear that hangs down is broader and longer than the upright ear ;12 so that we have the unusual case of a want of symmetry on the two sides. This difference in the position and size of the two ears probably indicates that the lopping of the ear results 10 'Journal of IIorticultnrc,' May 28th, 18Gl, p. 160. 11 '.Toumal of Horticulture,' 1861, p. 327. With respect to the ears, see De lamer on' Pigeons and Rnbbits,' 1854, p. 141 ; also 'Poultry Chronicle,' vol. ii. p. 499, and ditto for 1854, p. 58(). 1 2 Delamcr, • Pigeons and RabbitE,' p. 13G. See also 'Journal of Horticulture,' 1861, p. 375. |