The Rabbit

About this book

The rabbit has fed and clothed the nation, has altered our landscape, has kept thousands of us in paid employment, has kept starvation at bay during two world wars and now provides all sorts of possibilities for the future. And how have we thanked it? We introduced myxomatosis and killed it by the million. Jill Mason puts the currently under-rated wild rabbit back into context. With lovely photographic illustrations by David Mason, she explains its lifecycle, its behaviour, breeding, feeding habits and, above all, its incredible adaptability and resourcefulness, which brings the species back from the brink to pest proportions again and again, in all corners of the earth, from semi-desert to meadowland. With a fascinating reference section on the sites of the UK's former commercial warrens.

Contents

Glossary of Terms   6
Introduction   7

1. The Natural History of the Rabbit   9
2. Wild Rabbits around the World   33
3. Rabbits in the UK   43
4. Rabbit Diseases   51
5. Rabbits in Sport   57
6. Methods for Control   65
7. Culinary Matters   83
8. Rabbits in Myth, Legend, Fiction and Art   87
9. History of Warrens   95
10. The Rabbit Fur Industry   113
11. Rabbit Warrens - Law and Punishment   123
12. Location of Historic Warrens   129

Index   191

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