NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RABBIT 39 



and pertinacity displayed by a stoat in attacking and 

 vanquishing an animal so very much larger and 

 heavier than itself. It has been already shown, how- 

 ever (p. 20), that in defence of her young a plucky 

 doe rabbit finds courage enough to attack a stoat, 

 and will even succeed in repulsing him altogether. 



While the stoat will boldly hunt a rabbit under- 

 ground (an example which its smaller relative the 

 weasel essays to imitate, though, from its diminutive 

 size, it can take toll of comparatively small rabbits, 

 preferring mice and small birds), the fox will lie in 

 wait for rabbits of any size when aboveground, and 

 usually captures them by stealth or stratagem. 



The badger will dig down upon the young at the 

 end of a burrow and scratch them out, as may be 

 seen by the marks of his claws in the soil, and bits of 

 fluff that lie scattered about near the scene of his 

 operations. There is, perhaps, no greater enemy to 

 young rabbits than the common brown rat, not only 

 on account of his ferocity, size, and weight, which 

 amounts sometimes to 2 lb. and upwards,^ but also 

 because he comes not singly but in droves. During 

 the summer months rats quit the barns, stables, 

 out-houses and styes, where they have been hiding 



' See The Field of January ii and 18, 1896 ; January 2 

 and 9, 1897. 



