1883-84.] EdinburgJi Naturalists Field Club. 133 



the distribution of the two animals. While islands enjoy the society 

 of many species of birds, the quadrupeds are necessarily more or less 

 restricted in number, and I think it must ever remain a curious 

 question how the selection has been made, — why certain animals are 

 present, whilst others are absent. We have in Islay no Foxes, no 

 Badgers, no Hedgehogs or Moles, no Squirrels, no Wild-cats, no 

 AYhite Hares, and no representative of the Weasel tribe except the 

 Stoat. On the other hand, we can boast of the Eod-deer, the Fallow- 

 deer, and the Eoe-deer. We have the common Hare and the Eabbit. 

 W^e have Otters, and Water-voles, and Mice, domestic and long- 

 tailed and short-tailed, and there are Shrews. We have at least one 

 variety of Bat, and that one of a large size, with huge ears ; and we 

 have, of course, multitudes of that constant attendant on man, 

 the Brown Eat. Here, also, Frogs and Toads are multitudinous. 

 Lizards are not uncommon, and Adders are very numerous. We 

 have, too, all the domestic animals, though I cannot just now remem- 

 ber having noticed either a mule or an ass in Islay. I allude, of 

 course, to the quadrupeds ! 



As I have already said, there is a very large number of Stoats, and 

 I shall now mention a few anecdotes regarding them, as illustrating 

 their habits and mode of life. I doubt if any creature on earth, 

 insects excluded, is so fearless and ferocious as the Stoat. He seems 

 indeed to look upon even his arch-enemy, man, with something like 

 contemptuous indifference. I have often read accounts of small packs 

 of Stoats (or, as the narrators generally called them. Weasels) volun- 

 tarily attacking men — rushing upon them and attempting to worry 

 them ; but I never personally met with any instance of this. Last sum- 

 mer, however, I had an instance of what a single infuriated Stoat 

 may dare to do. I have said that there are no Wild-cats in Islay, 

 but there are numbers of domestic Cats that have gone wild, and 

 have even been bred in a wild state. These are exceedingly destruc- 

 tive of all kinds of game. Seeing one of those prowlers, I procured 

 a couple of traps, and set them for him. Next day no Cat was caught, 

 but a Stoat was. I took one of the traps, and striking the Stoat with 

 it again and again, put, as I imagined, the little creature out of pain. 

 It seemed perfectly dead, and I took it out of the trap and threw it 

 a considerable distance away, where it lay motionless, while I leisurely 

 reset the two traps. I had just finished, when suddenly the appar- 

 ently dead Stoat had a resurrection. It got up, and for a second 

 seemed stupefied, but the instant it caught sight of me, in place of 

 running off, as any other animal in Britain at least would have done, 

 it seemed inspired by fury, and " went for me " with what was for it 

 a roar of rage. It seemed for the moment like a Lilliputian lion, as 

 it rushed towards me. I had nothing to defend myself with, so I 

 too gave as loud a roar as I possibly could ; and as it sprang at me, 

 I struck it with ray fist. This stopped it. It turned and fled, and I 



