Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-09
RA8BITS IN AUSTRALIA.
some of the Methods Employed in Ex
terminating the Pest.

Some of the Methods Employed in Ex-
terminating the Pest.
From Chambers Magazine
some few years ago in Australia drastic
legislation was introduced which made all
those who owned land liable to fine If they
failed to keep down the rabbits. This pro-
duced considerable effect, and certainly
checked the increase of the pest. Up to this
time the destruction of the rabbit had been
left to the unaidsd efforts of the amateur
sportsman or the professional rabbit trapper
"a class of men who, seeing a chance of a
free but not easy life. with fair wage at
tached to it, abandoned their original trades
and devoted themselves to trapping. The
equipment of the men, who generally work
in pairs, consists of number of gin traps
pony and cart. tent, and the other
requisites for camping out. They go to some
district in which rabbits are thick-if posi-
Bile near a railway station-get permission
to trap from the land owners and start to
work Some of them are paid a small direct
wage and also receive bonus; others again
work wholly for the market. After choosing
their ground they set their traps during the
day In the most likely places and cover
them carefully with earth. One man will
sometimes have some dozens of traps set
over a mile or more of country, and these
he visits twice Or thrice in night. His
first round is about or o'clock, the sec
oilu dpout OF L, ana the CnlFu just
sunrise. In each round he kills and eviscer-
ateS the rabbits that have been caught, re-
sets the traps and carries the dead ones
back to the camp. In the morning, If enough
have been caught, he or his mate takes
them to the railway station or delivers them
to rabbit buyers, who come round with
large carts The price varies from two
pence to sixpence per pair, and where rab-
bits are numerous the men make good
wages. Their income Is supplemented in
various ways They sometimes catch ma
tive cats or tame cats-turned out original
ly to prey on the rabbits-and make a fair
profit by selling the skins singly or after
making rugs of them. The fox also gives
them dividend when they are lucky
enough to get him. 1t will easily be seen
that the trappers would not be likely to
extermiuate the rabbit, as they would be
putting end to their own living, and so
the land owners. under the pressure of the
law, began to look for other methods. The
most successful, perhaps, Is that of using
| poison. This is done in various ways. one
of the most common being to run a plough
furrow through the paddocks and spread at
| the bottom poisoned wheat. oats, bran, car
| rots apples. There was, however, from
| the outset a strong feeling against poison
| On account of its danger to poultry, live
stock and wild birds. Within the last year
or so the problem seems to have been part
| ly solved by the freezing and export of the
| rabbits to England. The export last yeaI
| amounted in value to about $50. 600 this
| year it is expected to reach 100000. This is
done under government supervision. and the
| prices obtained in most cases have beer
| satisfactory. 1t will, indeed, be a complete
| turning of the tables if the "a bbit so long
| cursed by the grazers. should prove to be
| a blessing, and the time may come wher
| rabbit farms will be taken up. and much
| attention paid TO the proper breeding Of
| rabbits as is now given to sheep.