172 Stoats and Weasels. [Sess. 



This is no mere speculation, as I have had it again and again 

 verified that they die quickly from cold. In hard frosty 

 weather, should one be caught in a wooden box-trap, it will 

 very frequently be found dead, though the trap is looked reg- 

 ularly night and morning. If a wisp of hay be put in the 

 trap, the animal will be found cosily curled up in it, evidently 

 quite comfortable. In the spring of this year I had two 

 stoats and two weasels in separate boxes placed in a large wire- 

 net cage in front of my window, for the purpose of observing 

 their habits. Knowing that they are by no means possessed 

 of a social instinct, I allowed only one of them to run about 

 the cage at once. As you are all aware, we had some sudden 

 changes in the weather, and one night a fall of snow with hard 

 frost was experienced. Notwithstanding that each animal had 

 some hay to sleep in, I discovered in the morning that both 

 weasels had succumbed to the cold. The stoats, however, 

 seemed to be none the worse, but I took the precaution of 

 having them removed into a stable, in order to protect them 

 from further exposure. It may be asked, if weasels thus die 

 from cold, how is it that they live and thrive in places of 

 high altitude, such as Dalnaspidal in Perthshire, where the 

 winters are long and severe? My opinion is, that weasels spend 

 most of the time in hard weather in their nest, which is 

 frequently in a hole deep down below a tree-root or under a 

 rock. The nest is generally made of dried grass and lined 

 with feathers like a bird's, where the winged tribe exist, and 

 where they are included in the weasel's bill of fare. Even in 

 confinement they make a similar nest, provided a pigeon or 

 other bird is given them, from which they can pluck off the 

 feathers, and in which they curl themselves up as simply 

 and cosily as possible. 



Weasels are frequently caught in traps set for moles, which 

 indicates that they hunt for these animals. In one instance 

 I knew of two weasels having met in a mole-run exactly in 

 the trap, which secured them both. When quite a lad, while 

 walking on the road at Ladykirk, in Berwickshire, a weasel 

 crossed in front of me and disappeared in a bank at the side 

 of the road. Going to the place, I saw the hole where it 

 entered, and that there would be no difficulty in digging it out. 

 Taking the precaution of pushing a stone into the hole, I went 



