The Song of the Rabbit (1913)
When first old Cook came here.In boots both "crook" and queer,
He landed in a bay in New South Wales ;
And when he made a Land
On the mucky, dirty strand,
His language to express; e'en history fails. For the features of the land
Were of a common brand-
It's gumtrees hurt his seaman's keen old eyes ;
Still he thought that he would try it,
From the blacks he'd try to buy it
With some potions made from good strong malt and rye. And they say James had a rabbit
And it's mate (none there to grab it),
And he sent them forth abroad to multiply.
So they made for good old Mudgee,
Cudgegong, Spring Flat and Budgee,
And they scampered off to breed, or do or die. And now we find that they,
In their own peculiar way,
Resolved to populate the blooming earth.
They "did," and throve and bred,
And now' the warning's read,
"That too many of the kind were given birth." For you know the giddy rabbit
Has an awful funny habit,
Trying to produce his furry kind ;
And he got to work so well
That the "cockies" raised a yell,
And "rabbit" filled the population's mind. He ate the "cooky's" wheat,
Barley was to him a treat,
And cabbage did not come to him amiss ;
He will swallow natural grass
In a frightful way—alas !
We all begin to think that he's remiss. He breeds with prospects slender,
With patriotic splendor,
Though he knows that sheep have got the biggest say.
Like the terrier, he is plucky,
Be it dry, or wet, or mucky-
And it seems that Brer Rabbit's come to stay. So he goes his way unceasing,
Always thinking of increasing
(For sheep) and cattle temper not his zeal).
Like old Abram and his breed,
Bunny sows his fertile seed,-
And I think he has the better of the deal. Then some fool up Europe way,
Who was made of common clay,
Said that rabbit was a thing that all could eat.
So the trapper hied him forth
From the south and east and north. With the yarn that rabbit stew was quite a treat.
So the rabbit is a great
Constant asset of the State.
And thousands make a modest bob or two
From the quadruped whose brown
Fur is tinged with softest down
(And they tell you that he makes a splendid stew). So we pack him in a crate
That is long, and neat, and straight,
And we put our trade-mark on him very plain ;
For Europe has a habit
To esteem good Mudgee rabbit.
Which improves when rocked upon the raging main. And thus from day to day,
In our freezing, coldish way,
We pack Brer Rabbit in his furry coat,
And we send him o'er the sea
To Japan and Germany
In a fast and up-to-datish freezing boat. For there he is esteemed,
In a manner little dreamed
By the man who sets his trap to catch our friend.
And may the local freezer
Run by Gaskin (cold old geyser)
Always thrive, and never come towards an end Notes From the NSW Newspaper The Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative 13 Feb 1913 p. 8.