. The Canadian field-naturalist. March, 1938] The Canadian Fiei,d-NaTurai,ist Zl. only fail to do so when the rabbits are in their greatest abundance or the winter is unusuall)'^ long. Snowshoe rabbits show a decided preference for certain trees and shrubs. This is governed to some extent by the tree, or trees, which are most common to the district. Here, where the white poplar, Populus tremuloides, pre- dominates, it seems to be preferred, with the bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa, a close second. In the mixed forests to the north the white spruce, Picea canadensis, is fed upon nearly as largely a
. The Canadian field-naturalist. March, 1938] The Canadian Fiei,d-NaTurai,ist Zl. only fail to do so when the rabbits are in their greatest abundance or the winter is unusuall)'^ long. Snowshoe rabbits show a decided preference for certain trees and shrubs. This is governed to some extent by the tree, or trees, which are most common to the district. Here, where the white poplar, Populus tremuloides, pre- dominates, it seems to be preferred, with the bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa, a close second. In the mixed forests to the north the white spruce, Picea canadensis, is fed upon nearly as largely as poplar. Besides these, all other trees provide their share of food excepting the Manitoba maple. Acer ncgiDido, which is seldom or never eaten. When we examine the shrubs we notice that the rabbits show a decided preference for the hazelnut. Corylus sp., bog birch, Bctula glan- dulosa, wolf willow, Eleagnus argentca, rose, Rosa spp., and all of the diiTerent kinds of willow. spp., hawthorn, Crataegus spp., plum, Prunus spp., cherry, Prunus spp., and most of the lesser shrubs are eaten to a large extent. High-bush cranberry. Viburnum opulus. is seldom eaten and saskatoon, Amelanchier aInifoHa, and snowberry, Symphoricarpos, only rarely. Trees which are exceptionally rare, strangers in a district, are usually so severely and persistently cut back that they rarely manage to grow to maturity. Strange foods.—During the winter of 1933- 34 a horse died among some willows on the side of a road I was using daily. Soon after the horse became frozen rabbits commenced eating its ear and nose. In three nights the ear. a large hole in the head, and most of the nose were eaten, and tracks showed that more and more rabbits were coming to the horse each night. The horse was removed on the fourth day so I am unable to say how much of it would have been eaten if it had been allowed to remain where it was for the rest of the winter and had not been found by coyotes or dogs. A ruffed gro
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