ung, of which there are often three
or four litters a year. The creature becomes a parent at a very
early age, and by the time that a rabbit is a year old it may have
attained the dignity of a grand parent.

The food of the rabbit consists of grasses, bark, leaves, bulbs,
young twigs, buds, berries and the like, and of cultivated vegetables
of all kinds, when opportunity favors. When surprised in the woods
it manifests its alarm by violently striking the ground with its
feet, causing the peculiar sound so often noticed at their first
jump. The animal is fond of pursuing a beaten path in the woods,
and is often snared at such places. Its enemies, beside man, are
the lynx, and other carnivorous animals, hawks, owls, and even
the domestic cat.

The rabbit is a favorite game with all amateur sportsmen, and the
devices used in its capture are multitudinous. It is by no means
a difficult animal to trap, and a glance through the second and
fourth sections of our book, will reveal many ingenious snares
and other contrivances, commonly and successfully used.

The Box trap, page 103, is perhaps the most universal example of
rabbit trap, but the Self-setting trap, page 110, and Double-ender,
page 109, are also equally effective where the animal is desired
to be taken alive. If this is not an object, the snare is to be
recommended as simple in construction and sure in its result.

[Page 204]
The above constitute the only devices commonly used for the capture
of the rabbit, the steel trap being dispensed with. On page 109
will be found additional remarks concerning the rabbit, and many
hints no baiting, etc., are also given under the heads of the various
traps above alluded to.

The skin of the rabbit is very thin and tender, and should be carefully
removed, either as described for the fox, or in the ordinary method,
by incision up the belly. Full directions for curing and tanning
the skins will be found under its proper head in a later portion
of this work.

THE WOOD-CHUCK.

This animal also called the marmot, is so well-known to most of
our readers, that a detailed description will not be necessary,
suffice it to say that the general color is brownish grey above,
changing to reddish brown on the under parts. The head, tail and
feet partaking of a darker color. The length of the animal is about
a foot and a-half, exclusive of the tail, which is four inches
long.

The woodchuck is a clumsy looking animal, and anything