The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-25

cats may, II they choose, escape. They, too. live
on rabbits, and consequently have their value.
They are, however. fierce and agEres,
20 one MT accustomed to delays, Your boun-
Diary rider Is essentially u man of his hands, VINO
stands no nonsense, and. executing his horse aud
dog, makes no pets. stupid native bears, bnnul.
CUOts. rats, and even wallahies, have no charms
for him except what may lie in the price 81 their
skins in the sydney market. For these they, arc
them. the real business Of his visit is nioceeded
with. The rabbits large gray rabbits thev are
somehow not exactly like their FngllSli progenl,
tors. for natural variation lisa rapid thing where
rabbits are roncerncd are easily reached y" 50
small n space, The work is soon done, and the
heap pf bodies Is COntenptuOusly thrown .uD
through the manhole. \. board provided for The
purpose is then placed against the sihcof thepit,
and the ig,lanas are driven out not always "itI'-
such is lie daily routine of the frontier war
fare between the settler and the invading ran
hit, and. as IT. stands, II can hardly he consid-
cred a very hopeful one, " Is tIne my ane
Sf the p pG,sS nS and V "po%nIId1 i, 20 continue '" equally cf.
fectivc. 1t might even in time solve the prob
lem. its value, in future Is doubtful. II Is pos
siblc that In the stern school OF necessity m
stinct may come to the assistance Of the In
,adcrs and teach them The lesson Of CARRYING
current that in som" districts natural selection
is rndowiuy individuals with longer. and
stronger claws than nature formerly allowed
20 tho race, by means Of which some have
been, SURPRISED IN the very act, Of carry
exagrcration. due to an imaginative temlcra-
mcnt acting upon iii digrsied doses OF the BAR
winian theory. but without II the risk is great
that ~ the rabbits can he kept back for u few
years The EVIL may die out from natural causes.
II seems u fact that aCnuntry fully stocked with
rabbits soon becomes what Is locally known as
" rnbbit-siGk." III such country disease Of an
unknown Kim seems to spread with n rapidity
that is amazing, sweeping large districts almost
clear, within n few weeks, as II by magic, In
districts thus cleared even IL n few remain they
appear to have lost their vitality. and. grad
uallN disappear. Whether the cure would be n
permanent one there has not yet been time To
country that II 1.-THE rabbits can only he prevented
from spreading into new pastures they VIII
quickly die. out. or ut any rate cease to be n
incnaCe to the country.
There are. of course, and for many years To
come there will remain. the vast and almost I'M
explored rcgionso of central Austral liza. into which
This. However, would hardly appear to be q
serious danger to this time the rabbit las
shown no disposition To spread into the more
tropical regions. Even should he grow acClin-
atiEed to II hotter climate. the drought of the
interior and the great distances between water
supplies. except those arti1Cally. created ny
means ~ artesian bnrings, would render the
country very unsuitable for" its speedy increase.
~ may be said that the rabbit plague OF Aus.
tlalln is, after all. but Il temporary scOurge, and
that when II mas once swept across the more
pear. This may be true; but for the present the
process Is n painful ono The wealth of Aus
tralia, which. in proportion to its population. is
said To exceed that Of any other country In the
world. is. with the exception OF its mineral
treasures. mainly the produce OF its vast pas
total areas. In New south Wales alone, with
n population OF only twelve hundred thousand
souls. there are ahlut sixty millions nf valuable
sheep and two millions Of cattle, and the exports
of wool, skins. and tallow from these was. last
year, worth fully S60,0O0, 900. These facts are
thing would lie which even fer a time interfered
with its pastoral prosperity.