Just before sunset, on the grounds of the abandoned factory site in Melton is the peak time to see an abundance of furry animals, a sight the Normans who brought them to our shores would have been proud to see. Large unkempt shrubby areas, perfect hide-outs for the burrowers, and copious grassy areas for grazing provide ideal conditions. Little wonder, then, that you can see no fewer than fifty munchers scattered all about at peak times. Let it be a lesson that without any threat from mankind, these creatures would soon take over!

But it is, when you look closely, that your eyes begin to open wide with excitement. This population, it would seem, has become a setting for a genetic experiment. In amongst the brown and grey, in mid summer, we spied three black ones - yes black - recently weaned and so looking extremely cute! A number of subsequent return visits have similarly proved rewarding. It will be interesting to see whether they will survive into adulthood and if they do, it would be fascinating to see what happens to the numbers of melanic forms. As long as the building remains unoccupied and conditions remain the same, the population may be well worth spying on.

If you are interested in enjoying such quirks of nature, you can make your way to TM286504 just past Station Road on your left and opposite Melton station on the A1152 leading out of Woodbridge, at dusk or dare I say, dawn!

Rasik Bhadresa

Editor’s note
White Admiral 40 (Summer 1998) contains interesting records of melanistic rabbits gathered by Tom Langton and Catherine Beckett over a ten year period.