346 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



coming upon it very quickI3^ When he fairly strikes the 

 trail, he goes along at a trot, often stopping and looking all 

 round him to see that the coast is clear. In this position he 

 resembles a snake. As he comes up to a rabbit it seems to 

 get fear- paralysis, and limps along or stops dead, screaming 

 a moment after as the sharp teeth seize it behind the ear. A 

 fenman once caught one in the act of sucking a leveret, and 

 he caught the pair — a youngish stoat and leveret — and put 

 a string round their hind-quarters and carried both home. 

 When he separated them, the stoat sprang at him, and 

 hissed and made water, which smelt abominably. When 

 the stoat has sucked the victim's blood, he will carry it 

 away (if not too large) to his hole ; if too large to drag, he 

 will leave it and cover it if he can, but if he is not hungr}^, 

 he leaves it like a dog, and many a marshman has dined 

 off rabbits and leverets killed by " them old lobsters." 



At times, if hard pressed, the stoat will attack a full-grown 

 hare, flying on to its back when it gets well within reach ; 

 and marshmen tell me they have seen the poor frightened 

 hare running through furze and under gates to try to shake 

 off the terrible foe, who was gripping his throat tightly with 

 all fore-feet — feet more rat-like in shape than an otter's. 

 Others have seen stoats go round their prey in ever-narrow- 

 ing circles, the poor rabbit sitting unable to move — both of 

 them shrieking until, with a final spring, the tragedy was 

 finished. 



That they do kill game is' certain, for I have seen them 

 take a young partridge, that could just fly, from a clutch. 

 On being frightened the stoat skulked away, but soon came 

 back, and began eating at the head — like birds of prey, they 

 prefer the eyes and brain to any other part. 



They only have one litter a year, like ferrets ; but a ferret 

 has nine or ten to the litter, whereas a stoat has but five or 

 six. When the naked and blind young things are born, the 

 mother suckles them until they get their sight and can hunt 

 for themselves, which they begin to do at a very young age. 



