File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18161385511).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo17amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL deer-like. Again, they take to following the leader: one jumps over a stone, the other follows; the first leaps a chasm two feet wide, the second is at his heels; they crouch in the shadow of a stone, then dash out into the light capering, then peer out from the shadow again where they remain, momen- tarily interested in washing each other's faces. Soon they are playing boisterously again, one bounding into air without any preliminary hint of such an intention, the other shaking his head until his long car-
Text Appearing After Image:
A very serious and determined young rabbit (four weeks old), but ready for play at any moment. Jack rab- bits have the play instinct from the first day, but play activity increases from the fourth day to a maximum at the close of two weeks, continuing unchanged thereafter except as influenced by increased muscular strength tilaginous ears snap together. Finally one of them sees something that stimulates his curiosity. He watches eagerly, his ears straight forward and widely opened. He pro- gresses a little, he drops one ear, he moves slightly to the right, to the left, he stretches slowly forward, investigation written plainly in eyes, ears and tense muscles. Ah! it's only a shadow after all and Bunny Jack races away, lowering his tail so that it is like a little black streak between his flying hind legs. The most surprising thing about young jack rabbits in the light of the fact that they are so highly developed when born, is their continued dependence on a milk diet as the weeks pass. On March 2 (sixth day), they showed the first recognition of the possession of teeth b)' chewing at the nest material. When two weeks old (March 10), they gained their first interest in grass, sniffing at it with noses a-wiggle and little red tongues thrust out at right or left, but refusing to eat more than one or two of the grass ribbons. The tliree weeks' limit was reacheil (March 17), four weeks were gone (March 24), five weeks (March 31), and the situation seemed astounding. Six weeks (April 7), at last they showed willingness to eat clover and grass. During the seventh week they were weaned from their improvised "bottle"— most unwillingly on their part— and with the change in diet became increasingly wild. This long period of dependence on the mother jack rabbit is an in- teresting fact for the gardener as well as for the naturalist. It is likely that in this relatiA-ely north- fern part of California the jack rab- bit breeds only three or four times a season, the months of October, November, December, and January constituting a definite winter sea- son. Therefore the best time for reducing the ranks of these rabbits is during the winter months, before March—provided the ranks ever again need reducing. For in California rabbits for the most part no longer devastate the crops. This is owing to a constant

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