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

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

have multiplied mainly in the last two years. About 150—300 specimens were bagged annually. I should like to mention here —though it bears no witness on the occurrence of rabbits before the years 1870—1883 — that we know the exact date of the introduction of rabbits in Ógyalla, Com. Komárom. This derives from the notice that, on the wishes of M. Konkoly, 13 rabbits were sent from Gödöllő to ógyalla for breeding purposes. (In the original text, the name of the place is Ó-Gyula. There is, however, no such place in contemporary gazetteers, and it is evidently an incorrect spelling of O-Gyalla (8, p. 113—114). We know therefore rather well the dates of introduction of the rabbit in Vacs, Gödöllő, and ógyalla. Unfortunately, we have no other such data for the other localities of its occurrence. In the times earlier than, and at those given in the first nationwide shooting records(1870

—1883), the occurrence of the rabbits is well testified on by the places where rabbits were shot and recorded in the various hunters' magazines, known already from the 'sixties, but mainly from the 'seventies. The earliest datum of rabbits bagged originates from the Stomfa estate in 1868. In this year, there were 861 rabbits shot here ; a sure indication that we have to deal with a rabbit population established since long years, therefore its introduction goes well back into the past. Nor have I found any other data of rabbits shot in the 'sixties of the last century. The others all derive from later decades. The localities enumerated belong almost without exceptions to the former large estates. This goes also to prove that the introduction of the rabbit was a pastime of mainly the owners of latifundia. Since, on the basis of the aboves, we know now rather well the distribution of the rabbit in Hungary, let us examine what the situation is at the present. I came into the possession of the present distribution data of the rabbit chiefly by the help of county hunting inspectors and, in a lesser part, by the hunters themselves. I have asked the county hunting inspectors in a circular letter, and the hunters in a notice in the magazine Magyar Vadász, to kindly inform me on the known localities of occurrence of the rabbits, the kinds of their habitats, and the eventual size of their populations. On the basis of replies, one gets the following picture : the rabbits are to be found mainly in the same comitats where they were introduced 90—100 years ago. There were rabbits to be found in the following localities, in 1957 : I. C. Fejér : 1. Aba, 2. Bicske, 3. Csákvár, 4. Ercsi, 5. Iváncsa, 6. Lovasberény, 7. Martonvásár, 8. Nadap, 9. Pákozd, 10. Sárkeresztes, 11. Sárosd, 12. Székesfehérvár, 13. Val. II. C. Győr : 14. Csikvánd, 15. Szerecseny. III. C. Pest : 16. Ágasegyháza, 17. Bocsa, 18. The hills of Budafok, 19. Bugac, 20. Gödöllő, 21. Kamaraerdő, 22. Peszéradacs, 23. Monor, 24. Matkó, 25. Nagy-Nyir, 26. Nyáregyháza, 27. Orgovány, 28. Pilis, 29. Törökbálint, 30. The hilly areas slong the Újszász—Szolnok railway, up to Nagykáta, 31. Üllő, 32. Vecsés. IV. C. Somogy : 33. Kereki, 34. Somogyvár, 35. Szólád. V. C. Sopron : 36. Csorna, 37. Dudlesz forest, 38. Egyed, 39. Between Kövesd and Und, 40. Nagvgeresd, 41. Nemesládony, 42. Peresznye. VI*. C. Tolna: 43. Ozora. VII. C. Vas : 44. Gór, 45. Hegyfalu, 46. Répceszentgyörgy, 47. Szeleste, 48. Vassurány, 49. Vasszilvágy, 50. Vámoscsalád. VIII. C. Veszprém : 51. Lovászpatona. (The localities enumerated under I

—VIII, see on figure 3.) Of the received information it is almost uniformly apparent that our home rabbit stock is on the way of decrease. Its cause, aside of natural factors (wea-