I'm still trying to find rabbit without having to snare them myself! I could get frozen rabbit up until our local grocery store went yuppie. Browning the rabbit first sounds good...I always like a well-browned piece of meat. As for the bunched herbs....maybe you could make an "herb bag" by tying them up in a piece of cheesecloth and stewing them along with the rabbit.
These are the herbs I intend to use...
Bay leaf
Thyme
Sage
Margoram
Parsley
The bag is a good idea...it has a fancy name, but I can't remember it.