St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-05-21

but perhaps Iney 40 NOT KNOW
what an interesting place Sable
Island is, and how big a book
might be written concerning the
creatures that from time to time
have been connected with it in one
way or another. Horses, cattle,
dogs, cats, rats, seals, walrus, owls,
and other wearers of fur or feather
have played their part upon this
wild weird stage, and there are
stories worth telling about each. In
this present article, however, | shall
confine myself to the rabbits and
foxes.
The rabbits were introduced about
ninety years ago, for the benefit Of
the staff stationed upon the island
to render assistance in cases of ship
wreck. They thrived greatly for
time, but oddly enough, were twice
exterminated, and in ways that l
think l might safely challenge the
brightest of my readers to guess.
The first instrument of destruc-
ton was the large gray Norway rat,
which was cast away upon the island
and multiplied indefinitely; and the
second, the large gray arctic owl,
which, CHANGING to find out this rab-
bit-warren in mid-ocean, visited it in
such focks that poor Bunny was
temporarily wiped out.
For the third time the island was
stocked. and now a remarkable
thing has happened. No rats are
suffered to exist there, the owls have
not returned, and thus freed from his
hungry prosecutors, Brer Rabbit
has waxed fruitful and multiplied,
until his numbers are beyond the
enumeration of the most expert
census taker. Although when view
ed from the sea, Sable Island appears
to be an utterly barren mass of gray
ish-brown sand, incapable of sustain
ing any form of animal life, this is
not really the case Within the line
of dunes built up by the restless
waves only to be beaten down again
at their pleasure there is a wealth Of
verdure that is a great surprise to
the visitor heinterior of the island
is valley, with a lake eight miles in
length in the centre, and little ponds,
dotted here and there with dense
rank grass, where the wild-duck and
waterfowl breed in uncounted thou
sands Throughout the valley there
is luXuriant grass interspersed with
the wild pea, and III their season one
may gather wild roses, lilies, asters,
strawberries, blueberries, and cram
berries in abundance.
Here, then, was an ideal home for
Brer Rabbit, and no wonder his
tribe increased, until he became a
positive nuisance that demanded
prompt abatement. In fact, little
Sable Island was threat tened with
the same fate as that which now
overhangs a portion of the vast
island continent of Australia. In
time there would be no green thing
left for the sustenance of the ponies
and cattle belonging to the staff.
In his emergency the fox is brought
forward as solution of the difficulty.
The superintendent of the humane
establishment has determined to
press Reynard into his service, and a
number of the red-furred, bushy-tail-
ed family are to be imported, and
letloose to wage war of extermina-
ton upon poor Bunny. Verify there
will be high times on the island
when this takes place, as it will very
shortly, and the result will be looked
for with lively interest. Whether
the foxes will fulfil the trust reposed |
in them, and give the rabbits as
short shrift as possible, or whether,
realizing that when their job is finish
ed they will be made away with in
turn, they will enter into an ar
rangement with cotton tails" to
eat off only the natural increase
of their population, and thus pro-
long the task indefinitely, who will
venture to prophesy?
This, however, may perhaps be
said by way of a winding up, that
since Samson awaited himself of foxes
for the purpose of destroying the
Philistines' grain, there has been no
more striking example Of the vulpine
race being pressed into the service of
man than this recent one at Sable
Island.-[J. Macdonald Oxlev, in
Harper's Young People.