The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-03-04
THE RABBIT PEST.
History OF Australia's Ever Increas.
ing Plague.
sheep Farmers Forced to Abando"
Their Runs-.The various FREE
ventIve Measures which
Have Been Taken.


imported into south Australia as dencaco'
for the table, that to-day their exteriniiia
ton would form one of the most serious
problems for the legislaturel
New Zealand did not receive this gllt thi
some years later, when it unfortunately oc-
CURED to colonist in the southern Isle 10
turn adrift some rabbits on the bleak sahu-
hills along the coastal Invercargill. Accord'
ingly he imported little family OF seven
from the old country, and very soon Lie anu
his friends were able to indulge IN some
pleasant shooting, and found change from
constant mutton very satisfactory.
But they soon found that theiS sport couii
not keep pace with the increase OF tne rao-
bits Soon every blade of grass was con,
sumed, and then the hungry creatures Ribbed
the roots which bound the light sand-niis
and prevented them from blowing over the
arabic land. The farmers began shooting
and trapping with all their might, but the
rabbits had now been introduced To Otago,
whence they spread in every direction defy-
ing all efforts Of the widely scattered settlers.
who for the most part live eight or ten miles
apart half dozen men sutlicing TO herd
hocks which range over perhaps 10000 acres.
As it was obvious that these could in no wise
check the ever-increasing evil, it became nee
essary to hire men TO trap, shoot, and ferret
professionally. These trappers required Vhe
aid Of large packs of dogs, and it was soon
found that the disturbance thus caused among
the hocks resulted in greater mischief than
even the ravages Of the rabbits. Moreover
the tTappers were paid at the rate OF two
E1rg 1,,t H.
stocked that skins sold for less than they cost
When you consider that the rabbit begins
to breed at the early age of six months, and
thenceforth has about six filters year, OF
from six to eight young, it is evident that the
increase Of the species must necessarily be ex-
cessive. 1t has been reckoned that one an
cestral couple, having attained to the age OF
Al years, may very well see around them a
prosperous clan Of descendants numbering
upward Of ], 270,00O
Among the many efforts made to snbdue
the rabbit pest none has more signaliy failed
than the introduction Of cats, which, from
the days of the marquis Of Carrabas down to
the present time, have proved such successful
rabbters when working on their own ac-
count. In New Zealand, however (where SO
many things go by contraries, they seem to
object to sport, and to prefer a purely do
nestle life.
Ia Victoria il was at first hoped that the
native cat, which is kind Of weasel, would
have proved useful ally; but, strange to
say, it at once fraternized with the rabbits,
and now these singular friends are said to
share the same burrows. Allmanner Of rem
edies have been tried, and successfully given
up as useless in the face Of so widespread an
evil Theextent OF the ravages could scarcely
be credited were it not for the clear IA aties
Of the Rabbit Nuisance committee. Thus, in
South Canterbury, New Zealand, MesErs. Car
gill and Anderson state that in the previous
year they killed 800, 900 rabbits by poison, and
in the following spring their sheep-run was
just as deeply peoplei by them as ever. Mr..
Kitchen says that he kept nearly hundred
men working as rabbit killers for four
months, and actually cleared his land. Very
soon, however, newcomers arrived and entered
into possession of this vacant tract, and now
they are worse than ever.
Still the plague spreads, and the whole lard
is more or less infested with the pest, and
many districts are reduced to mere warrens.
Many sheep farmers have been forced to
abandon runs of from 1900 to 5000 acres.
Mr.. R. Campbell has been compelled to aban-
don pc, 900 acres In one year he expended
$1,000 in the endeavor to clear about half
this land. Mr.. Reeves reports having killed
10000 rabbits within twelve months.
In 1878 the total number of sheep in New
Zealand was upward Of 800, 0Jo, but SO ter
rble have been the rayages of these feeble
people" that the official returns for 1850 and
1851 show a diminution of 100000 in the
number Of sheep, and the last quarter of 1882
shows a falling off of 10 per cent. inexport Of
wool as compared with the previous year.
How one mans poison may be another
mans meat has been abundantly shown in
Australia, where several enterprsing colo
nists have established rabbt-preserving fac
tories on so large a scale that they may well
be described as rabbit-exterminators, In
western Victoria there are two such factories,
one at Colac and another ct Camperjown.
The returns of the former for one week were
$1,000 pairs of rabbits, while in the same
time the latter received 10000 Thus nearly
$4,000 rabbits were disposed of in one week
by these two establishments.
A very important ally has, however, now
been secured, and great hopes are entertained
that it may prove more successful rabbit
destroyer than any hitherto thought of.
This is the Indian mongoose, (Herpestes
griseus), which in the last ten years has done
such good service in Jamaica as a wholesale
rat-kiler, The rats, attracted by the sugar
fields, had increased in such multtudas as to
threaten the desolation of that fertile isle
1t occurred to one of the planters TO intro
duce this notorious ratter, and the results
have surpassed his highest hopes. These
active little creatures, resembling large fer
rets multiplied with an extraordinary veloc-
ity, and waged deadly war of extermina-
ton against the rats 1t is hoped they may
prove equally eiiicacious in the destruction Of
rabbits, 80 the New Zealand and Australian
governments have applied to the government
of India for supply of mongooses. These
are accordingly being collected at Bengal
and sent to the geological gardens in Cal
cutta, whence, when 100 couples have been
secured they will be dispatched to their new
homes where we may we'll wish them sue
cess