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

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

he speaks in generalities and does not mention localities of capture or observation. 3. On the basis of the hunters' magazines, it can be established that the rabbit was to be found in high numbers in Hungary in 1884, since 12 255 specimens were shot in this year. 4. Of the shooting records published in the hunters' journals one might ascertain the gradual spreading from county to county of the rabbit. So, rabbits were shot in 11 comitats in 1884, and in 26 in 1909. All in all, we know of rabbits bagged in 52 comitats of the 63 in Hungary before 1909. From the majority of these, however, shooting data were published but for some years as indications that introductions failed in these areas. 5. The counties richest in rabbits were : 1. Pozsony, 2. Somogy, 3. Moson, 4. Nyitra, 5. Sopron, 6. Pest, 7. Vas, 8. Fejér. 6. As witnessed by the hunters' magazines, rabbits were shot as the earliest in Stomfa (C. Pozsony) in 1867, The dates of baggings, indicating generally the dates of introduction too, originate, in their majority, from the 'seventies and 'eighties of the last century. 7. The dates of introduction are known exactly or with an approximate exactitude but from some few places. So, e.g., 1874 in Vacs (though the 'sixties are excluded by no means), February 1887 in Ógyalla, and the spring of 1880 in Gödöllő. 8. Though rabbits are not listed in the first nationwide shooting records (1870—1883), this does not mean the absence of rabbits in Hungary but the fact that they were not always recognized items of hunting. This statement is wholly supported by data concerning the bagging of rabbits before the years 1870 and 1883. 9. We do not know of any rabbit fossilia in the Carpathian Basin. 10. According to researches done in 1957, rabbits may generally be found in the same counties in the present territory of Hungary where they were introduced into 90 or 100 years ago. 11. There are no rabbits to be found beyond the Tisza at the present, though we know, on the basis of early records, that there were some experiments to introduce rabbits in some comitats beyond this river which, however, remained unsuccessful. Bibliography: 1. Grossinger, J. B.: Universa História Phisica Regni Hungáriáé. Tomus I. (1793). — 2. Reisinger, J.: Állattan a gerincesekről, I. (1846). — 3. H a n á k, K, J.: Természetrajz (1848). •— 4. B i e 1 z, A.: Fauna der Wirbelthiere Siebenbürgens (1856). — 5. Kor nhub er, G. A.: Synopsis der Säugethiere (1857). •— 6. Vadász és Versenylap (1857—). — 7. Fitzinger, L. J.: Naturgeschichte der Säugethiere (1860). •—• 8. Vadászlap (1880-—). •— 9. Szécsi, Zs. & Illés, N.: Vadászati ismeretek kézikönyve (1892—1895). — 10. Fülöp Szász Coburg Gothai herceg magyar vadászterületeinek és vadállományának uradalmak szerint való ismertetése (1910). — 11. Fauna Regni Hungáriáé (1918). — 12. Brehm, A.: Az állatok világa (5, 1929) (Hungarian rewriting). •— 13. L o v a s s y, S. : Magyarország gerinces állatai (1927). — 14. N e m e s k é r i K i s s, G.: Hivatásos vadász (1942). )— 15. L i n c k e, M.: Das Wildkaninchen (1943). — 16. B e r t ó t i, I.: Vadgazdálkodás és Vadászat (1956).