What Does “A Down of Rabbits” Mean?
“Down” refers to habitat rather than behavior, specifically England’s rolling chalk downland, open, grassy hills found across southern England that have long been prime rabbit territory. The short, grazed turf and well-drained chalky soil of the downs made ideal digging and foraging conditions, and rabbits have been strongly associated with this particular landscape for centuries, a connection famously reflected in fiction too, most notably in stories set on and named after England’s actual downland habitat.
Chalk downland supports rabbits partly because of the grazing relationship itself; rabbits keep grass short through constant nibbling, which in turn helps maintain the specific short-grass ecosystem that supports a wide range of downland wildflowers and other species. In many ways, “a down of rabbits” describes not just where rabbits live, but a landscape rabbits themselves have helped shape through generations of grazing.
Example: “A down of rabbits grazed the open hillside at dusk, the chalky grassland stretching out below them.”
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals · What Is a Group of Rabbits Called?