The Rabbit Plague.

Otago Witness, Issue 2161, 25 July 1895, Page 7

The Rabbit Plague.

TO THE EDITOtt. Sir, — I have noticed the correspondenc? on this subject for the past two months during my stay in New Zealand. In truth, we may say the rabbits we have with us always — an insuperable and *tubb3rn fact. But is it altogether insuperable ? Anyone who has watched the system!! in vogue in New South Wales for the destruction ot rabbits, b .th as regards the numbers destroyed and the means of dect r o>*it>g them, will be led to regard it in a lees pessimistic view than do some of your correspondents. The deth-dealing powers of phosphorised pollard are truly remarkable. In New South Wales, where the rabbits are very thick, I have followed a trail of poi-ton a quarter of a mile lot>g the day after it has been laid, and havesee '900 rabbits picked up within 100 yds of the track. That amount, however, Ido not suppose represented one- third of the rabbits Actually destroyed, as one large burrow we dug out close by entombed as many as 29 do*d ones. Surely if this means were systematically employed, and when oace fairly in hand al owed to increase further, a great deal would be done towards the absolute extet initiation of the pest. I know some stations ia New S .ufch Wales whore at an unnecessarily enormous expenditure they have been destroyed by pollard for a period of, say, two months, which has the effect of very materially decreasing them; bub instead of sticking to it and keeping on at them they arc allowed for the remaining 10 months to increr.se at their own sweet will. This, of course, is an absurd manner of killing them, end will never lead to anything. Because some pc p!e through their own folly lay poison broadcast where any sheep may eat it, surely pollard should not be condemned on th*t account. I myself have seen 300 t-heep | killed in one night, bat if reasonable care is fcsken in laying it, and sheep are kept from that part of the paddock for the time, no loss of she- p will accrue. Aa for the cost of lading, any ordinary station hand io New South Wales earning 15s a week, with a patent follard distributor, can lay as long a trail na a horse can drag the machine in a day. Wire fenciDg, of course, is absolutely necessary, but how many fences are really rabbit proof? I think a pi!>trap I have sen very largely used on fences in Australia ensures this. In case this trap has not been described in your columns, a description of it may be of use and interest to New Zealand people. A hole 4ft denp, 4-ffc long, and 4ft wide is dug on the liae of fence, .and is dug so that 3ft of it is oh one side of the fence and the remaining foot on the other. The earth which is taken out is piled up to make an additional foot to the depth of the trap, and is graded off to the level of the surrounding ground.' This hole is then lined with wire netting "to prevent any rabbits burrowing out. Four 'boards, each 2ft 6in long and £in thick and Bin wide, are then placed es in the accompanying rough sketches. They are balanced by pieces of iron acting as pivots lft from the end further from the hole. Theso pivots act on boards running the length of the trap, and the shorter and lighter end is kept balanced by any heavy weight attached underneath it. When properly balanced a £lb weight placed 2in from the pivot should have the effect of tilting the board. The remaining portion of the trap is covered by a light wirenetting frame, which can be readily lifted, to enable a man to get inside the trap and kill the rabbits. Leather or indiarubber nailed under the weighted extremities of the tilt-boavds act as buffer?, which deaden the noise of the falling tilt, which would frighten away approaching rabbits. In order to prevent any rabbits running round this trap when travelling on the fence, wire-netting wings 3fb high are erecbed on each side of the fence leading to the trap. They should be 30ffc long ; the longer really the hotter. A good idea is to drive a short board or end of a beam about 9in high and Bin wide into the ground a foot or so in front of the tilts. This hides the trap from the rabbit till he is right on it, and he does not ace his advancing friends consigned to eternity. •A trap like this is placed every quarter of a mile on a wire fence, and as they work perfectly automatically and require no attention beyond killing the rabbits inside periodically, they are a permanent and incalculable assistance to tbe squatter or farmer in the destruction of rabbits They catch all rabb'ts travelling on the fences (the way they nearly always do travel), and those premeditating burrowing under or climbing over it, and thus render their fences practically rabbit proof, which otherwise they seldom are. The cost, including material, is abaut 25s or 30s, and one trap could be built in a day by any bush carpenter. I have seen oa a large run in New South Wales, where as

many aa 100 taps are in use, vI2OOv 1200 to 1500 rabbits caught daily for some weeks, besides 200 wallabies or so. The assortment of animals c*i>ghb in thsße Jaraps Is amusiug — t'ig^r oats, iguanas, possums, • kangaroos,- paddjmelons," porcupines, bilbirs, magpies, mallee hens, wild ducks (I have seen seven wood ducks taken out of one trap), pigs, &s. — all rendered comparatively friendly by their common eaemy, fear. I hope I have made this tr»p sufficiently clear to your reader?, and that it may be the means of le*S3nii<g the number of rabbits in New Zdaknd. — I am, &c , Pit Trap.

Wellington, July 16

[It is unnecessary to reproduce the diagrams, as similar contrivances have already been described and illustrated on more than one occasion in these co'umns.— Ed.]