The history of the rabbit in Britain is a little more complicated than suggested (Letters, 22 April). It would be more correct to assert that rabbits were reintroduced into Britain in Roman times. It has long been well-established that rabbit was a common element of the native British fauna in the Hoxnian interglacial period c400,000 years ago, occurring at Palaeolithic sites such as Barnfield Pit, Swanscombe and the Ebbsfleet elephant site (in north-west Kent).
After this, it does seem to have declined in abundance, becoming restricted to the Iberian peninsula until its later introduction into Britain and the rest of northern Europe in Roman times, approximately 2,000 years ago.
There is, however, an additional record from early in the current interglacial from the Mesolithic site of Thatcham (Berkshire), approximately 11,000 years old; it remains to be established, however, whether or not this was a recent burrowing intruder. If not, it is indeed very puzzling why the species was not more abundant between 9,000BC and its Roman reintroduction, bearing in mind its proverbial breeding propensity.
Dr Francis Wenban-Smith
Department of archaeology, University of Southampton
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