Abstract
IN the course of his address to the annual meeting of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, held on March 28, Mr. T. Steel, the president, alluded to a proposed method of destroying rabbits by means of an infectious disease, the precise nature of which is not yet disclosed. The idea, it appears, originated in Paris, and since the necessary funds have been subscribed by stock-owners and agriculturists, it is proposed to commence the experiment on a small island selected for the purpose. After discussing the arguments for and against the proposal, the president considered it highly undesirable that any such disease should be wilfully communicated to any species of animal, by means of which it might be disseminated throughout the country. As to the extermination of the rabbit, that is considered an impossible contingency; but means ought, and can, be found to keep the species in check without recourse to infectious diseases, which may be a danger to the community.
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Destruction of Animals in Australia . Nature 74, 188 (1906). https://doi.org/10.1038/074188a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/074188a0