448 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
and almost caught the Moorhen, who ran into the 
soft mud and water, where the stoat could not follow 
him: he, however, went back and hid again, when 
the Moorhen came back and searched about as 
before, and the stoat again jumped at him. ‘This 
happened several times; at last the Moorhen, in- 
stead of searching about, beat a retreat up a thick 
ditch and through some brambles for about twenty 
yards, when he came out into an open grass field 
and walked quietly away: soon after the stoat came 
upon the scent, which he lost for a moment,—where 
the Moorhen had flown -over a deep part of the 
ditch,—but, after making a short cast, he soon hit 
off the scent again, and run the Moorhen from scent 
to view in a very short time, who, however, only ran 
till the stoat was almost upon him, when he took to 
wing and flew into a plantation close by. J then 
thought it was all over and that the stoat was beat; 
so I suppose thought the Moorhens, for the old hen 
brought out her brood again, and the male joined 
them. There was soon, however, another rush and 
flight of the hen and the young ones, and the stoat 
again made his appearance. How it would eventually 
have ended I do not know, probably badly for the 
Moorhen, as the stoat was very persevering; but at 
this juncture my friend came up with his gun, and 
put an end to the proceedings by shooting the stoat 
as he was making a rush upon the old Moorhen. 
There is a very different account of an attack by 
