Rabbit-poisoning.

Otago Witness, Issue 3061, 13 November 1912, Page 38

Rabbit-poisoning.

TO TKJ! TSTTITOB. Sib, —I have read with interest the 1 alters in your paper in re this subject, and would like to give an opinion in answer to one or two of Mr Davies’s comments. Mr Davies eays—l have not his letter before me but am quoting from memory—rabbits will suffer for weeks before dying. _ I am quite certain that is a mistake., as in nine cases out of ten ’f a rabbit has not died within five days of having taken the poison it will recover, and even then the poison will have been made very weak for bunny to live that tame, Mr Davies also savs that phosphorus-poisoning is cruel. No doubt it may be for an hour, or perhaps less, hut I firmly believe that in a very short time the senses become numb —inst long enough for the fumes from the phosphorus to become circulated. —as I have noticed on different occasions th" rabbit becomes quite dazed until it finally dies. T also read the letter from your correspondent “Farmer,” and I do not agree with him when he says the rabbits could be keot down without poisoning. h« I have noticed on all the stations about here that after the poisoning every year the rahb'ts are getting fewer and fewer. Men one put on the different blocks trapping, ferreting, d’gging out. ete,. after the poisoning is finished, but still 12 months after there seems to be a good number about, and then again ooison is pn+ down, and yon hove thorn down again. No doubt the rabbiters kill big numbers, but still, if the.ro were no noise rain g the rabbits in a few v onns wo’dil eot th n eountrv out. j t a Fiiffie-wnt quontity of nhosphorus is rvi’t in a batch a rabbit will di" m two or bours.—f »m. e+e.. Trotcbapk. Omanama PtatWi. November 8.