Mr. G. Gardner, continued.

436. Do you know this of your own knowledge? It is said that the doe has her young, and as soon as she rears them sufficiently to look after themselves she makes off to some other place?—That is very likely. I never took any particular notice of it.

437. By Mr. Richardson: You have not got them ear-marked?—No; they started inoculating. That did not answer.

438. By the Chairman: In travelling, do rabbits constantly go forward, or go in stages?—They journey to new country, and when they have eaten it well out they start again.

439. They only go to new country when they have eaten their present abode out?—Exactly; yes.

440. Following up that question; do they come back on that track?—Never come back.

441. You are certain on that point?—I feel certain of it; never come back. They migrate right away.

442. Do you find that rabbits get over fences?—Oh dear, yes.

443. In large numbers?—Well, they have got to know what this mesh is. You have to be very careful in putting up mesh.

444. Would that be due to the inefficient erection of that fence, if it is baggy, if it is not properly straight?—Sometimes the ground is uneven, and part of the mesh is too low down and a part too high in another place, and so on.

445. We will say such a fence as would take 42 inches above ground. A rabbit ought not to get over that?—No.

446. Then a rabbit only get over a fence if it is due to some formation of the ground, which, after all, is a matter of bad erection?—Yes.

447. By Mr. Loton: You do not think a rabbit climbs a fence?—No; I have seen young rabbits with their heads through the mesh.

448. That would be low down?—Yes.

449. By the Chairman: Do you think that any rabbit that could get through an inch and a-half mesh would live without its mother if it happened to get through?—Oh, yes; undoubtedly.

450. You think it would?—I am sure it would.

451. You do not think that a rabbit that could get through an inch and a quarter mesh could?—No; I do not think so.

452. Can rabbits live on salt bush or dry scrub without water?—They can.

453. They can live on salt bush country?—They are very fond of salt bush country. They ate the herbage out on the Murrumbidgee.

454. But we will say there was no other herbage?—They would live.

455. But would large numbers of them die, do you think?—Some of them might.

456. Have you had much experience of rabbiters; professional rabbiters?—Yes, I have.

457. Has not the experience of the other States been that rabbits have not decreased where rabbits or their skins have been made a commercial commodity?—They have decreased very much. In the Colac district there were millions. Now it does not pay them to keep open the rabbit factories.

458. It is hardly fair to consider the Colac district in regard to the consideration of this country. That is a district of small holdings?—There are some large holdings too.

459. They would not be holdings in a big pastoral country?—They would not.

460. By Mr. Richardson: Do the rabbiters ever exterminate?—They catch the young ones and let them go.

461. How do you account for the rabbits decreasing?—Because they are caught in the traps in millions and carried down to the factories.

462. Do they not take the young ones out of the traps and let them go again?—They do that.

463. And do not they take does heavy with young out and let them go again?—They will do so.

464-5. The rabbiter looks upon it as a matter of business?—Yes. Rabbits have decreased in that district very much, and I was there not long ago. They have decreased immensely. It was in 1875 I was there, and the country was infested with rabbits.

466. Yes, and I suppose various means of extermination had been costing these people hundreds of thousands?—Hundreds of thousands of pounds.

467. It would be wrong to put down the extermination in these parts to the rabbit factories?—Yes.

468. Do you discriminate the decrease there as caused by the rabbit factories and the decrease by numerous other means?—I think it was principally the rabbit factories, because nobody could get into those places but a man who was trapping rabbits.

469. By Mr. Richardson: That would decrease them to a certain point?—Yes, the men made a living out of it.

470. Until it gets beyond a living stage?—Yes.

471. By the Chairman: What I want to arrive at is this, is the trapper a means of exterminating the plague?—I would not trust him.

472. It is not a question of trusting, but does he?—He makes money by trapping rabbits for that purpose.