of the British Mustela. 207 



the head at random, I am greatly inclined to think so. There 

 was nought else provided; neither mole nor mouse, nor 

 young birds; any of which could at that season have been 

 easily procured. There was nought but only the two score 

 of frogs, and the two toads. It would be a curious question, 

 how many days' provision was here laid up, and might lead 

 to interesting speculations as to the check upon the population 

 of paddocks. Allowing the toads to be given for medicine, 

 which is highly probable ; there was in store an allowance of 

 six frogs apiece : but how long these were to last is the 

 question. 



After the young ones and their provisions had been taken 

 out of the hole, I began to consider what the head of the 

 family had made of herself; knowing that a polecat lies in her 

 hole all day, and prowls only during the night. The terrier 

 seemed hardly to regard the young after he had killed the 

 first he got hold of; but, springing into the hole again after 

 they were all removed, he dug away, with as great fury as 

 ever, against what seemed to be the solid and unbroken 

 earth ; clearly intimating by this sign, and a casual look to 

 me, that he was sure the old one was there yet. By my 

 assistance with the spade, she was soon dug out too, and 

 worried of course. It was evident, as there was no commu- 

 nication from where the young were, that she had, at the first 

 serious alarm, barricaded herself with earth, so hard pressed 

 that it could not be known by the eye from the unbroken 

 ground. This, to be sure, was hardly very generous in Mis- 

 tress Foumart, as it was clearly devoting her family to save 

 herself; but, like all ungenerous conduct, it served her little. 

 She, no doubt, was in a great rage : and, therefore, could not 

 help giving to the earth so much of her own abominable 

 smell, that it guided the dog to where she had concealed 

 herself. 



The usual prey of Foxes is moles, field mice, and rabbits, 

 where they can get them. It is seldom now that they take to 

 killing sheep, or even lambs ; but, when they do begin, they 

 never leave off. An instinct, probably, of the same kind, 

 namely, a consciousness that the domestic animals belong to 

 man, and an awe of those that he takes care of, seems gene- 

 rally to deter both the stoat and the polecat from attacking 

 poultry ; but, when once they get over their first fear and 

 awe, their slaughter has almost no bounds. I have known a 

 single polecat kiWjifteen turkeys in one night : there could be 

 no mistake, for he was taken almost with the red hand. He 

 had dragged them all in beneath a large stack of firewood, 



