Chapter V.

Tim has a fellow feeling with me, in so far that he hates the rabbits with all his heart. He says, "I am not such a fool as to think that the rabbits have been a benefit to anyone worth mentioning. If there was not a rabbit in New Zealand, I would have plenty of work and pleasanter work to do."

He has a theory for reclaiming the great warrens, which I will give as nearly as possible in his own words : "You see, it is Govern- page 20 ment land that has been ruined by a national misfortune, [unclear: and] the nation's business to reclaim it. It will never do to leave it [unclear: as] for New Zealand's sake, because it will render useless, a [unclear: very] area of more valuable land than itself, to say nothing about [unclear: its] loss. To fence it off is out of the question, on account of the [unclear: numeber] water-courses and flats liable to be flooded, and the great [unclear: danger] having such a source of evil so insecurely pent up. There are [unclear: also] dogs up there, and our present view of that place is quite [unclear: harm] compared to what it will be ten years hence, if we leave it to [unclear: the] and rabbits.

"Now, suppose that there was four or five hundred acres of an [unclear: ex] mental block, fenced with netting, on one of the flats or on some of best of the foothills, I would be very glad to take that block on following terms :—The first two years free of rent while the [unclear: g] would be recovering; after that, I would give 8d. an acre rent [unclear: fo] which would pay interest on the fencing at least.

"I would keep a few sheep and cattle, and would grow some [unclear: oats] poisoning, which would be veay effective just outside the netting winter. Then you can imagine all the rest of it. I would [unclear: get] well that I would be the envy of all my acquaintances, and there [unclear: was] be no lack of tenants for all the land they liked to fence. And [unclear: in] that gigantic conspiracy would be surely and cheaply broken [unclear: up.] the fencing was ready in May, the skins would pay me for [unclear: cles] the land, and I would as soon try to wash a nigger white, as to try foster grass in the presence of ever so few rabbits. I might be [unclear: suspe] of fostering rabbits outside for their skins; but if I were allowed turn out my stock in summer and autumn, it would pay me [unclear: better] rabbiting; and when there would be many such tenants, [unclear: they] be paying rent for the unfenced land. The wild dogs are fools [unclear: as] and could be easily poisoned, if rightly gone about; but of [unclear: course] of natural enemies would have to go with them.

"The Keas prefer feeding on live animals, and would there escape the poison. And by the way, you may have noticed some recommending poisoned fat for keas. Well, my opinion is, [unclear: that] don't care for fat at all. Their crops often contain a [unclear: substance] like suet, but the simple chemical experiment of putting it on the will prove that it is not suet. I had a tame one formally [unclear: months] would not touch fat in any shape, but was ravenous for [unclear: milk,] might indicate a taste for blood. I have made many [unclear: post] examinations, both on keas and their victims, and I think that it is the fat they seek, but simply flesh and blood; and that they have a sufficient knowledge of anatomy to go for sheep's kidneys, [unclear: but] them sometimes purely by accident. They serve rabbits the [unclear: sa] sheep when there is not a vestige of fat on either, and I [unclear: have] known them to touch a dead carcase. However, they are so [unclear: d] inquisitive, and easily decoyed, that I think myself and the [unclear: boys] be able to reckon them up. When I was up there before, I used page 21 get three or four rabbits a week that had been wounded by keas; and [unclear: seeing] that the sheep were all gone and the kea's native food indirectly destroyed, and knowing their aptitude for new departures, I was in hopes that they would become warm company for the rabbits, but now I think the ferret will spoil even that small favour. Because, you know, the kea is the bull-dog of its class, and as much the impersonation of cruelty as the ferret is of murder; so that it is delightful to imagine the surprises they will afford each other. Fair play for once, When a kea sees a ferret, it will say to itself 'Hillo! another new [unclear: hum].' And the ferret will smack its lips in fond remembrance of the poor Maori-hen, so when both parties are agreeable there will be [unclear: o] difficulty about an interview. Then hurry up, ye peace-makers, for ye will be badly wanted where cruelty and murder meet. If it should turn out to be a drawn battle, that kea will be very suspicious of small cattle for the future, and will in all likelihood give up rabbiting." "You know how easily a rabbit will find a broken mesh in the [unclear: etting] or a hole in your garden fence. Well, if it is a fact that a [unclear: abbit] will find a hole and go through it, I can set an automatic trap that will always be set, and that will impound every rabbit that goes [unclear: hrough] the hole in the netting. It has the very smallest amount of [unclear: notion], and is innocent looking enough to deceive even a rabbit. [unclear: And] think I could do some good with it up in the 'Warrens,' if I had a fig patch of enticing pasture. First I would make a secure pound of [unclear: etting], in some flax or scrub, about twenty yards inside the boundary [unclear: ence], with a race leading from it to the boundary. On each side of [unclear: he] race, and close to the boundary would be small enclosures to [unclear: grow] blue grass' for the rabbits. Then a door eight inches square in the boundary fence leading into the race. In this doorway one trap would be set, and another at the far end of the race, to allow the rabbits into the pound when they became auxious to escape, and to keep them out of the way of new comers. A few dead ferns might be woven in and around the door, to make things look natural, and many [unclear: ther] trifling precautions that will only appear necessary to an expert.

"For the trap, there is a tray about three feet long and six inches wide to hold loose earth an inch or two deep. This tray is balanced [unclear: n] its center, flush with the ground in the doorway, and the trap door is swung over head and attached by a fine wire to the outer end of the [unclear: ray] When the rabbit gets on the inner end of the tray, it falls half an inch and shuts the trap door behind the rabbit to the position of the dotted lines. And when the rabbit gets off the tray, it sets itself, And if he gets on again inside, the door shuts in his face.

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"Now I think that when the rabbits are very hungry and [unclear: anxio] get through my trap into better feed, there would be nothing prevent them. I know how artful they are, and how easily they throw cold water on theories, but I am going to fit my [unclear: mimi] natural conditions and my patience against their cheek and [unclear: sus] and if they swindle me this time I will give them up as a bad lot.