Rabbits will come out from the wood and pass under your tree to the good
grass beyond. From May to August every year I spend three evenings a week
‘ up a tree,’ somewhere on the edge of St. Leonard’s Forest, and thus enjoy
Nature without creating much disturbance. There are various methods of shooting
Rabbits, but none in my opinion compare with the use of the ’22 Winchester
rifle, smokeless cartridges, and a high power American telescopic sight. Your
shots are practically noiseless, you can select young Rabbits by means of the
glass, and you have a shooting range up to sixty yards. I have noticed that
where there are large burrows situated back in a wood, Rabbits always proceed
to their feeding ground in one long scattered line. The whole battalion moves
slowly to the edge of the plantation, constantly stopping on the way to sit on
their hind legs and devour the young grass and birch leaves, of which they are
particularly fond. They proceed along well-defined runs, at the sides of which
any little mound or tree stump serves as a lavatory to the adults, for they are
cleanly in this respect. Coming to the edge of the wood the line always halts,
and many of the old Rabbits sit up and listen in close attention for several
minutes. Satisfied that all is quiet, they advance to the edge of the covert and
look carefully out, afterwards drawing up their hind legs and assuming a position
of comfort and observation. They are now within full view of their feeding ground,
and sit watching for a few minutes. Then you see one or two putting their
noses to the ground and advancing a yard or so. The ground smells sour and
is cropped as close as a board near the wood, so first one Rabbit and then
another puts back his ears, and springing in sportive glee, makes a rush for the
good things ahead. Fear is cast aside and the whole line advances, a wave of
Rabbits appearing from the covert side where a moment before you could only
see a head or two poking out. Then the whole community commence to feed,
perform their toilets, or indulge in love chases. One or two lie stretched on
their side enjoying the evening rays, and half-grown babies skip and sport in
excess of mirth. It is a pleasant scene, and one that it seems unfair to disturb;
but the exigencies of the pot are inexorable, so you choose a well-grown
youngster and shoot him through the head. After the shot, another and another
may often be obtained, so quiet and artistic is the action in the '22 with smokeless
powder. The secret of success is never to move or show yourself after the
shot. Sometimes the line of Rabbits will come out three or four times in the
evening before it is dark, and you can obtain all the young Rabbits that you
wish.