12 THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



courses, ditches, &c., where it preys upon the rats, water- 

 rats, meadow mice (A. agrestis), young water-hens, &c., to 

 be found in such places. Only last spring I saw one cross 

 a small stream carrying some object which I took to be a 

 large meadow mouse, but was not near enough to be quite 

 certain. The weasel in this district is much scarcer than 

 the stoat, but neither can by any means be called common, 

 being everywhere persecuted with the utmost rigour by 

 gamekeepers ; besides which, the objectionable practice of 

 destroying rats and mice by means of poison, which has 

 become so prevalent of late years, must be very fatal to 

 both species, not to mention the hedgehog, the poisoned 

 rats and mice being in all probability devoured by all 

 three. It is a great pity that the pretty and very useful 

 little ' mouse-hunt ' should be so dealt with. G. T. ROPE 

 (Blaxhall, Suffolk)." 



The weasel has a long, lithe body, colour reddish-brown, 

 and white beneath ; it lives principally on rats and mice, 

 and from its suppleness is able to follow them in all their 

 runs and holes, in barns or corn-stacks. It is, however, 

 persecuted by the gamekeeper, and is always a conspicuous 

 figure on the " gallows-tree." The length of the male is 

 from nine to ten inches including the tail ; the female is 

 much smaller, not much bigger than a large field-mouse. 

 In Hampshire the female, from its small size, was, in 

 Gilbert White's time, considered to be another species, and 

 went by the provincial name of cane, or kine. 



The weasel is easily distinguished from the stoat by its 

 smaller size, and having no black tip to its tail. 



THE STOAT. 



Of the same family as the weasel and otter. The STOAT 

 or ERMINE WEASEL (Mustela erminia) is not so often seen 

 by the river-side, but being very partial to the young 

 water-vole as an article of its diet, it at times comes down 

 to the river-bank and will often swim the stream in pursuit 

 of its prey. It is considerably larger than the weasel, but 



