Mr. R. W. A. Warren, continued,

1363. Is there anything growing on those sandhills? — No; it is all eaten off.

1364. But naturally? — Oh, yes; it had more stuff than the stony tablelands before their getting into it.

1365. By Mr. D. Forrest : Do you know that rabbits climb over a fence? — Well, I have seen them climb trees, but I have never actually seen them climb over a fence.

1366. Do you think they could climb over a fence? — A few might, but they do not make a practice of it.

1367. You never heard of a fence made to keep them, so that they cannot get round? — No; I have never seen any fencing like that.

1368. MR. D. FORREST; Turned over on the top, so that they cannot get over.

1369. MR. RICHARDSON : It has been adopted, I think, in some places.

1370. By the Chairman: Generally speaking, from your knowledge of this country (you have travelled over a considerable portion of it ), you see nothing in this country to prevent rabbits from thriving and flourishing and increasing? — I think they will do better on the goldfields country than they did on the Lake Eyre district, which they have eaten out since my residence there.

1371. By Mr. Forrest: And about Katanning, too ? — They would do very well about Katanning. Even amongst the big stretches of bad country about Katanning there are lots of little gullies with plenty of grass. I think rabbits rear their young there, and, during summer, eat the gullies out, and then they have to shift to keep themselves alive. It is then, I think, they will come on farmers' cultivated land and sheep-farmers grass paddocks.

1372. By the Chairman: Do you think there are a larger number of small holders of agricultural land in these parts who would not be able to incur the expense of rabbit-proof fencing? — I am sure of it.

1373. And consequently they would have to leave? — Yes.

1374. By Hon. R. G. Burges: Are you aware that the manager of the Agricultural Bank is instructing that there shall be a three-wire fence, so as to provide for rabbits afterwards?— No; I am not aware of his doing that. I think it would be much better for the farmers all to join hands through the Government, and each erect straight fencing and fencing common to all.

1375. By the Chairman: Fencing in groups. At any rate, it would give them plenty of breathing time under the most unfavorable circumstances.

1376. By Hon. R. G. Burges: You mean by that, a fence right through to stop rabbits coming in at all? — Yes; to stop them for a long while. It would give the Government time to get all the good land settled; you might then find some other means of fencing inside the barrier fence.

1377. Do rabbits always stop on country after they have once infested it, or do they leave it ? — My experience is that rabbits in the dry central Australian country do not breed in summer, but only in winter. If there is good rain in winter they breed in great numbers; and as soon as the hot weather comes on in November they pretty well die out, and you do not notice many. But next season, when the rains come on, the few left soon breed up again, and they repeat the performance every year, if the rain falls with regularity.

1378. By Mr.Wittenom: Do you know of any country which rabbits have ruined and which has ever been used for pastoral purposes afterwards when the rabbits have cleared way from it of their own accord ? — No.

1379. They stay there? — They stay there.

1380. By Mr. Forrest: Drought will kill them? — Yes; but there are always a few left to rear others.

1381. By Hon. R. G. Burges: Under the South Australian Rabbit Act, squatters and freeholders have to keep their country free of rabbits, have they not? — I do not know.

1382. About the Hill River country? — I do not know; but I only dealt with the Lake Eyre country, outside the rainfall.

1383. Did you know such an Act was in force? — I was never aware such an Act was in force, but I knew pastoral lessees were bound not to put up brush fences.

1384. Were they not bound to keep the rabbits down, under the Act, by trapping, shooting, or poisoning them? — I think they were, but the Act was a dead letter, because everyone recognized it was impossible to do so. If a man rents three thousand or four thousand square miles of country, it would take a lot of money to trap or shoot all the rabbits running about on the land. The rabbits come in from the unoccupied Crown lands alongside. I have particulars here of some country that has been abandoned, and which the South Australian Government are fencing in with rabbit and dog-proof fencing, with a view to letting the land again when the fence is finished.

1385. Fencing the rabbits out? — Fencing them in.

1386. To destroy them? — The Government will not destroy the rabbits, but will trust tonatural causes to lessen them. It will prevent the rabbits already outside from coming in after they have eaten all the food off the outside country.

1387. Do you mean to say that the South Australian Government are alive to fencing against rabbits in that State at the present day? — Yes; they are fencing with a view to getting the country re-occupied.

1388. What do you think would be the effect on the meat market if rabbits were to invade this State ? — I think the squatters in Kimberley would clear out of the country. I do not think meat will be