THOSE LITTLE GREY FOXES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 933, 17 January 1890, Page 19

THOSE LITTLE GREY FOXES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL. Sir, —I regret, to sec the Wellington papers blaming Sir James Hector for the importation of these little Kit foxes. No blame whatever attaches to him. The mistake arose purely through Mr Creighton (the New Zealand Government agent in San Francisco), and I am not at all indisposed to think now that advantage may not accrue from the mistake. Some three years since, the then Chairman of the Joint Rabbit Committee (Mr Randal Johnson) asked me what I thought of the introduction of the Kit fox as a means of coping with the rabbit difficulty. I remember objecting to its introduction, but lam not so certain now whether I was right. 1 should like to see a few experiments made with these foxes, either in Sydney, now that they have been sent on there, or by Professor Thomas in Auckland. If these little animals can spread a more virulent form of tape worm than the common dog, then it is clear that they will perform here the work which they have so admirably performed in North America in assisting Id keep the rabbit in check. I believe the reason tho rabbits have been increasing so much of late in California 13 in consequence of those little foxes having been killed off. This is the usual result of the increase of population in any part of the earth’s surface. Nature’s balance of clieA upon check is upset or destroyed, and the rabbit of course increases ; or population itself carries the rabbit to clean insular spots and then fails to introduce or raises an outcry against the introduction of the proper check. I have consistently for years past tried to point out that the rabbit thrives as population increases, but my argument haa not been accepted. In North and South America there is no rabbit pest, because the tape-worm of the lynx.wolf, kit fox, &c., &c., destroys the pest. It is when these animals are swept off by man that the rabbit increases. These especial kit foxes sent by Mr Creighton came from an island near San Francisco and not from the main land. They are pretly little animals, about the size of small terriers, and specially adapted f->r following the rabbit into its burrow. I believe the island from whence they came is well stocked with sheep, so that it is evident they cannot be harmful (o lambs. lam, however, not disposed to introduce them here in any number before 1 am fully satisfied as to this point, and as soon as I cau see my way to a month’s holiday I may run across to North America and investigate tho working of the natural enemy as far as they effect sheep. I should like Sir James Hector also to visit his old exploring grounds, but the Government would have to send him. Meantime I would ask that a couple of these kit foxes be given to Professor Thomas, who will feed them with the proglottides of the bladder worm and note its effect. Or the experiment may be tried in Sydney; but the difficulty there, I find, is sending over there the diseased rabbits. It may be that the kit fox will be found of more use in spreading the tape worm in the interior of the Australian Continent than the dingo. But first wo must find whether the kit fox will prove dangerous to sheep. lam too much interested in sheep matters to run any such danger. Only it is clear that we cannot introduce such a prolific animal as the rabbit here without also introducing it. 3 natural check of some kind. Rabbit-fencing is no natural check, as I have always tried to point out.—l am, &c., Coleman Phillips. Dry River; January 15.