THE FAERY YEAR 



the fugitive, scared by the ferret, leaves the rabbit- 

 burrow in high haste, it contrives always to thread 

 its way through the net. The keeper says he never 

 yet saw stoat or weasel enmeshed. Once, knowing 

 that a stoat was in a small burrow he was ferreting, 

 he spread three nets instead of one over the holes, 

 yet even through this trebled mesh the stoat went 

 scot free ere he could strike it. Faultless instinct 

 tells the stoat to fly the ferret, for where ferret 

 fastens it holds. There is one time at which a stoat 

 might face a ferret when she has young ; but she 

 would stand no chance. The keeper knows much 

 about the stoat, its daring, and its devilish device. 

 If you disturb a stoat dragging or carrying its prey, 

 it will usually return in a short time. The keeper 

 disturbed a stoat carrying a young rabbit. It fled 

 into the bushes ; the keeper hid near by and waited, 

 his gun ready. Suddenly the stoat thrust out its 

 long neck and dragged the little rabbit into the 

 undergrowth : it was so quick that the keeper had 

 not time to take aim. 



Next time he surprised a stoat thus, he tied its 

 prey by a bit of string to a stem. The stoat soon 

 popped out of cover, and tugged at the prey, giving 

 the keeper time to shoot. 



How do stoats and weasels catch birds out of 

 the nesting season ? I have never seen this done, 

 but the keeper has twice. In full daylight he saw a 

 stoat spring from the wood and seize a pheasant in 

 the lane. Another time he saw a stoat dart on a 

 blackbird by the pond. It was morning twilight, 

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