324 THE FUR TRADE OF AMERICA 



— this is no still hunt but a straight open chase — a little creature 

 about the length of a man's hand, with a tail almost as long, a body 

 scarcely the thickness of two fingers, a mouth the size of a bird's 

 beak, and claws as small as a sparrow's. It gallops in lithe bounds 

 with its long neck straight up and its beady eyes fastened on the 

 flying water-rat. Splash — dive — into the water goes the rat ! 

 Splash — dive — into the water goes the ermine ! There is a great 

 stirring up of the muddy bottom. The water-rat has tried to hide 

 in the under-tangle ; and the ermine has not only dived in pursuit 

 but headed the water-rat back from the safe retreat of his house. 

 Up comes a black nose to the surface of the water. The rat is fool- 

 ishly going to try a land race. Up comes a long neck like a snake's, 

 the head erect, the beady eyes on the fleeing water-rat — then with a 

 splash they race overland. The water-rat makes for a hole among 

 the rocks. Ermine sees and with a. spur* of speed is almost abreast 

 when the rat at bay turns with a snap at his pursuer. But quick 

 as flash, the ermine has pirouetted into the air. The long writh- 

 ing neck strikes like a serpent's fangs and the sharp fore teeth have 

 pierced the brain of the rat. The victim dies without a cry, without 

 a struggle, without a pain. That long neck was not given the 

 ermine for nothing. Neither were those muscles massed on either 

 side of his jaws like bulging cheeks. 



In winter the ermine's murderous depredations are more apparent. 

 Now the ermine, too, sets itself to reading the signs of the snow. 

 Now the ermine becomes as keen a still hunter as the man. Some- 

 times a whirling snow-fall catches a family of grouse out from furze 

 cover. The trapper, too, is abroad in the snow-storm ; for that 

 is the time when he can set his traps undetected. The white whirl 

 confuses the birds. They run here, there, everywhere, circling 

 about, burying themselves in the snow till the storm passes over. 

 The next day when the hunter is going the rounds of these traps, 

 along comes an ermine. It does not see him. It is following a 

 scent, head down, body close to ground, nose here, there, thread- 

 ing the maze which the crazy grouse had run. But stop, thinks 



