tall, unstable walls. The local rabbits' tendency to burrow there would weaken the walls and their collapse resulted in injuries or even death. Thus, invoking the name of the culprit became an unlucky act to be avoided. In the local culture to this day, the rabbit (when he has to be referred to) may instead be called a “long ears” or “underground mutton”, so as not to risk bringing a downfall upon oneself. While it was true 50 years ago that a pub on the island could be emptied by calling out the word "rabbit", this has become more fable than fact in modern times. In other parts of Britain and in North America, invoking the rabbit's name may instead bring good luck. "Rabbit rabbit rabbit" is one variant of an apotropaic or talismanic superstition that involves saying or repeating the word "rabbit" (or "rabbits" or "white rabbits" or some combination thereof) out loud upon waking on the first day of each month, because doing so will ensure good fortune for the duration of that month. The "rabbit test" is a term, first used in 1949, for the Friedman test, an early diagnostic tool for detecting a pregnancy in humans. It is a common misconception (or perhaps an urban legend) that the test-rabbit would die if the woman was pregnant. This led to the phrase "the rabbit died" becoming a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test. See also Animal track Cuniculture Dwarf rabbit Hare games Jackalope Lethal dwarfism in rabbits List of animal names List of rabbit breeds Lop rabbit Rabbits in the arts Rabbit show jumping References Notes Citations Further reading Windling, Terri. External links American Rabbit Breeders Association organization, which promotes all phases of rabbit keeping House Rabbit Society an activist organization that promotes keeping rabbits indoors Articles containing video clips Cosmopolitan mammals Extant Ypresian first appearances Herbivorous mammals Mammal common names Paraphyletic groups