Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 50. (Budapest 1958)

Szunyoghy, J.: The introduction and distribution of the rabbit in Hungary

ther, contagious diseases), is its consistent extermination. By this I mean a butchery partly by arms partly by snares, but mainly by digging. In certain places, some people who do not possess arms dig out the burrows of the rabbit almost passionately. Aside of this passion, they are of course activated by an easy mean to obtain meat. Occasionally they work with hunting polecats. An interesting way of the destruction of rabbits is to put pieces of asphalt onto burning wood in contraptions used for singing away the hairs of pigs. The stinging, stinky smoke is then immitted into the passageways of the burrows. The rabbits escaping from the smoke are caught in sacks fixed to the exitholes of the burrows. Fig. 3. The distribution of the rabbit in Hungary in 1957. It is also apparent from information received that in the rabbit populations in large distances from each other, and so quite independently, there may appear color variations of foxy red, black or gaudy white. Rabbits inhabit almost exclusively shrubby areas or the edges of woods on a loose soil, that is, mainly sandy substrates or one mixed in a high percentage with sand. As a summary, one might conclude the followings : 1. The earliest data for rabbits in Hungary are those of J. B. G r o s s i ng e r, who was familiar with them in the neighbourhood of Moson. 2. Natural history works after Grossinger either mention but the hare from Hungary or deny (or find eventually possible) the occurrence of the rabbit. On the other hand, L. J. Fitzinger, in his book published in 1860, states that the rabbit is „frequent" in Hungary His opinion is the more valuable as he was a versed naturalist whose data are reliable. It is a great pity that