The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-14
RABBIT FIGHTS
 OTHER ANIMALS Dogs, TomcatS and 6amecocks
 Are Victims EVEN ATTAUKS CHILDREN pittsburg Bunny Is the Terror of the Neehborhood In Which He Is Kept and Owners Has To
 Chain Him Up.
EVEN ATTAUKS CHILDREN

Have you ever seen a fighting rabbit? Did you ever witness dog whipped to frazzle by a frisky cottontail? A game cock bleeding and dazed, forced to run from bunny? Or fierccly growing tom cat turned into faltering coward that scurried up a tree to the nearest branch by a gray bandicoot? B. s. Jones of val onia street, Thirty-ninth ward, Home stead has been compelled to fasten a steel muzzle on his giant specimen of the Lepus Sylvatcus to prevent it from tear ing to shreds the trousers seats Of mis- chievous school boys, and he has had to chain it down with ring in its nose like an angry bull. And he is no compet- titor of Professor Long for nature-faking honors He says his rodent has achleVeo a reputation no bulldog could hope to surpass. and is the undisputed boss Of the Thirty ninth ward animal classes. NO heayyweights are barred either.
 The rabbit is universally accorded the virtues of modesty and gentleness and in the experience of most persons is easily frightened and timid. But let MT. B. s. Jones of valonia street tell his own story:
 Gamecock Makes Attack.
 ''When I first got possession of my Le- pus.p said he, 'I kept him in the chicken coop But he raised rows with halt dozen big game roosters, and one after another he took their measure. It was great to watch them fight. Stretching forth his ruffled neck and with blood in his eye, the gamecock flew at the cotton- tail, ripping his long, sharp spurs down. ward as he fought
 Cool and apparently self-possessed, the giant rabbit sat back on his haunches, the only show of anger being Tn ms great bulbous eyes, which bulged forward and snarlxled As the cock closed in, striking and pecking, the big rabbit drew back from the circling spurs and. watching his chance shot his long hind foot with It's sharp toenails out and up in regular ere counter that sent the rooster spraW- ling on his side three feet away.
 Half dazed, the gamecock returned to the charge, but as unexpectedly as De- fore the left hind foot snapped against the other side of the rooster's head ana he toppled through the air like deao gamecock Pulling himself together, he arose. looked around at the rabbit and fed, with his long tail feathers curled be- tween his legs like a beaten cur.
 My big tomcat thought he had fight ing chance with the rabbit, and when they met in a narrow pathway in the snow and the tomcat displayed no inten- tion of sidestepping, the cottontall swat ted him so forcibly in the eye that ne his foe, but the other lacerated the other Growling fiercely, the tomcats rushed on his foe. but the other lascerated the other eve with a well directed lash of his left hind foot and then the whining cat ned I'D tree. His ears were both spit rom the force of the blows.
 Picks Fight With Dogs.
 "Rut fl is in fighting dogs that the wise old cottontail displays almost human re- source and stratagem. He picks a quarrel with every cur he sees, swats him in the eve and then runs at breakneclz speed, with the dog in hot pursuit When ne reaches A favorable place the cottontail slackens speed until the dog approaches, then he leaps into the air, turns back somersault, lands squarely on the dogs haunches. and sinks his teeth into his body. and is off again like the wind H. repeats this programme until the dog is beaten or quits from exhaustion.
 "Ffnally the schoolboys began tossing snowballs at bunny. He took up the def at once. Rushing at one big lad he nfpped the calf of his leg and was away before the boy saw his stocking was tinged with crimson. He chased a whole crowd of boys down Valonia street one dav last week. Ieaping into the air and tearing their trousers. Many of the youngsters now walk around three blocks in the rear to get to the school house. and at the request of neighbors l bought a steel wire muzzle and strapped 1t se- curely on the rabbit At night take this off and let him run loose in the yard at the end of long chain which Is at tached- to a ring in the rabbits nose. He broke every other manner of conhnine ,,i,,, ana if was found necessary to insert n fine gold ring in the nose cartilage
 Mir Jones offers a standing prize of ssa to any person who can produce a rabbit that has greater number of scalps to his credit or possesses more accomplish meats.
 L. I1