loose transverse folds of skin or dewlaps beneath the
throat, which can be pulled out so as to reach nearly to the ends of the
jaws. Their ears are prodigiously developed, and hang down on each side of
their faces. A rabbit has been exhibited with its two ears, measured from
the tip of one to the tip of the other, 22 inches in length, and each ear
was 5-3/8 inches in breadth. In a common wild rabbit I found that the
length of the two ears, from tip to tip, was 7-5/8 inches, and the breadth
only 1-7/8 inch. The great weight of the body in the larger rabbits, and
the immense development of their ears, are the qualities which win prizes,
and have been carefully selected.

The hare-coloured, or, as it is sometimes called, the Belgian rabbit,
differs in nothing except colour from the other large breeds; but Mr. J.
Young, of Southampton, a great breeder of this kind, informs me that the
females, in all the specimens examined by him, had only six mammae; and this
certainly was the case with two females which came into my possession. Mr.
B. P. Brent, however, assures me that the number is variable with other
domestic rabbits. The common wild rabbit always has ten mammae. The Angora
rabbit is remarkable from the length and fineness of its fur, which even on
the soles of the feet is of considerable length. This breed is the only one
which differs in its mental qualities, for it is said to be much more
sociable than other rabbits, and the male shows no wish to destroy its
young.[255] Two live rabbits were brought to me from Moscow, of about the
size of the wild species, but with long soft fur, different from that of
the Angora. These Moscow rabbits had pink eyes and were snow-white,
excepting the ears, two spots near the nose, the upper and under surface of
the tail, and the hinder tarsi, which were blackish-brown. In short, they
were {107} coloured nearly like the so-called Himalayan rabbits, presently
to be described, and differed from them only in the character of their fur.
There are two other breeds which come true to colour, but differ in no
other respect, namely silver-greys and chinchillas. Lastly, the Nicard or
Dutch rabbit may be mentioned, which varies in colour, and is remarkable
from its small size, some specimens weighing only 11/4 lb.; rabbits of this
breed make excellent nurses for other and more delicate kinds.[256]

Certain characters are remarkably fluctuating, or are very feebly
transmitted by domestic rabbits: