. Birds, beasts and fishes of the Norfolk broadland . bbage, and young greens andsalads, and in hard weather hay. But a rabbit shows the extent of his damage, for theydo not feed far from their burrows, and you can see whatthey have eaten and what they have killed by their poisonousexcreta. Warren rabbits are larger and more sociable than hedge-rabbits. They seem to congregate more, and breed incolonies. Their burrows go deeper into the sand, somenine or ten yards, and they go straighter in. They eatmarram and rushes. Often, when they are killed, you findsand in their lips, and it seems as tho
. Birds, beasts and fishes of the Norfolk broadland . bbage, and young greens andsalads, and in hard weather hay. But a rabbit shows the extent of his damage, for theydo not feed far from their burrows, and you can see whatthey have eaten and what they have killed by their poisonousexcreta. Warren rabbits are larger and more sociable than hedge-rabbits. They seem to congregate more, and breed incolonies. Their burrows go deeper into the sand, somenine or ten yards, and they go straighter in. They eatmarram and rushes. Often, when they are killed, you findsand in their lips, and it seems as though they use theirmouths as well as their heads in burrowing. Indeed, youmay see them washing their faces like cats, but you mayalso see hares doing the same. They are a hardy crew those warrant rabbits, but a family of which I have but littleexperience. THE RABBIT 35 In habits, however, they much resemble the hedgerowrabbit, except in the points noted. And finally, a good young rabbit makes one of the bestdishes to be had, an you cook him ON GUARD. CHAPTER VIII RATS The most cruel, most destructive, and most hateful of allthe vermin of the Marshlands are the rats. Experienced rat-catchers of the Broadlands distinguishthree kinds. 1. The largest is rabbit-coloured, with a yellow chest. 2. The next is the large brown rat, verging to a red. 3. The smallest is the little red rat. I. Big Rat, with Yellow Chest. Experienced marsh-ratters assure me they have killedtnis formidable creature two feet in length, and weighingtwo pounds. I myself saw one killed that measured twenty-one inches. This fierce, brave, and detestable animal frequents barns,corn-stacks, and hedgerows close to buildings, often resortingto the warrens in the summer-time. In March, when the reeds rustle and the marshland is anarrangement in blue and gold, the old pairs begin to buildtheir nests of the handiest materials—grass, straw, wool,paper, and rags all serving their turn. The nest, like arabbits n
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsen, bookyear1895
