l62 TJie Home of the Wolverene and Beaver. 



came out licking its mouth, and seeming like a 

 hound after a long chase, much fatigued. A board 

 of the floor was raised to enable us to ascertain the 

 result of our experiment, and an immense number 

 of rats Avere observed, which, although they had 

 been killed on different parts of the building, had 

 been dragged together, forming a compact heap." 



I shall wind up this long chapter with the 

 following curious story of ermines or stoats, related 

 by Mr. Wood in the first volume of his " Illustrated 

 Natural History." 



"A gentleman was walking along a road near 

 Cricklade, when he saw two stoats sitting in the 

 path. He idly picked up a stone, and flung it at the 

 animals, one of which was struck, and was knocked 

 over by the force of the blow. The other stoat 

 immediately uttered a loud and peculiar cry, which 

 was answered by a number of its companions, who 

 issued from a neighbouring hedge, and sprang upon 

 their assailant, running up his body with surprising 

 rapidity, and striving to reach his neck. As soon 

 as he saw the stoats coming to the attack, he picked 

 up a handful of stones, thinking that he should be 

 able to repel his little enemies, but they came 

 boldly on, in spite of the stones and of his stick. 

 Most providentially, a sharp wind happened to be 

 blowing on that day, and he had wound a thick 



