Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-20
This and That
Bu Charles E. TrdceWell.
BETHESDA, MD.

Dear Sir:
"I just recently moved to the suburbs,
and most of the things in nature are
new to me. It is amazing, when I stop
to think of it, how much I have missed,
and yet have lived full life, guess,
but undoubtedly have missed many nat
ural things.
"a small rabbit is one of them. I am
writing to you to ask how long this
mite can live, with all these dogs and
cats around. He isn't more than four
inches long, and about as wide, I call
him Mr.. Four by Four. He showed up
suddenly at the edge of a flower Dor
der, just at dusk, and was gone almost
as quickly.
"He worries me. I do not see how he
can stay alive in this neighborhood,
despite the fact that many feed the
birds, and seem to have a general feel
ing for nature unknown to city jewellers.
This tiny rabbit may survive, but I
would feel better If you told me he will.
Sincerely, ]. c."
The number of rabbits in suburban
Washington must run into the thou
sands.
y 41lCy dlC always a GoA1SS Va nAAAuHS-
ment to newcomers to the suburban
scene.
Most of them survive, and live well
on Victory gardens and the like.
We can assure our correspondent that
the little one has every chance of grow
ing into a big one, and living for sew
eral years.
Dogs are their worst hazard.
Cats seldom catch wild rabbits, ex-
cept In the nesting stage.
At that time cat may clean out an
entire nest, but If the babies once get
safely out of the nest they have very
good chance to live to happy old age,
at least as happy an old age as nature
furnishes the wild creatures. What with
broken off teeth, and the inability to
eat, old things in nature live unhappily
enough, one may believe. Death, then,
at the hands of some dog, is not I'M
expected, and may have its uses, view
ing things from the unsympathetic side,
which seems to be a basic natural view
ing, after all. We catch glimpses of
nature in human affairs, with man
kind and whole nations acting from
the strict natural standpoint, lacking
in sympathy and real human under
standing.
The small wild rabbit in the home
grounds lives very we'll, mostly out
smarting both dogs and cats. The feline
population, with the exception noted, is
utterly unable to catch rabbits. When
full grown rabbit shows his heels, a cat
usually contents himself with sitting
back on his launches and watching the
bunny disappear.
Years ago our black and white cat
Byrdy manned after Admiral Byrd
chased a rabbit across the yard, and
kept up with him-but never gained an
inch-till the wild one vanished in some
shrubbery
1t may be believed at times that dogs
are not as bright as their admirers say
they are. Any rugged dog ought to be
able to catch rabbit but we have seen
them shoot off at an angle, and go
baying across country, while all the
time Mr.. Rabbit remained motionless
beneath bush. The dogs even could
have seen him If they had been as
smart as their owners thought they
were.
The mother rabbit, big and brown,
sometimes with bit of white in her,
builds clever nest often in briars, or
preferably among the ground roots of
some old tree.
The opening is covered with woody
material, gray in color, which blends
SO well with the debris which collects
among such roots that only the careful
observer, dog or human, win find it.
Mostly 1t isn't found, and the young
grow up, leaving the nest at last never
to return. Young rabbits love to play
tag around wood piles. If you have
some rabbits, get them cord OF wood,
and watch the fun. Watch should be
kept, however, that wood pile does not
become rat haven. Rats like such
places, too, but for refuge. Red squill
on meat bait will get the rats, but each
small portion should be poked well back
beneath the logs. where dogs, cats. birds
cannot get at 1t.