The Home of the Wolverene and Beaver. 163 



woollen comforter round his neck, so that he was 

 partially protected. Finding that he had no 

 chance of beating off the pertinacious animals, he 

 flung his stick down, fixed his hat firmly over his 

 temples, and pressing his hands to his neck, so as 

 to guard that perilous spot as much as possible 

 from the sharp teeth of the stoats, set off home- 

 wards as fast as he could run. By degrees, several 

 of the animals dropped off, but others clung so 

 determinately to their opponent, that when he 

 arrived at his stables no less than five stoats were 

 killed by his servants as they hung on his person. 

 His hands, face, and part of his neck were covered 

 with wounds ; but, owing to the presence of mind 

 with which he had defended his neck, the large 

 blood-vessels had escaped without injury. The 

 distance from the spot where he had been attacked 

 to his own house was nearly four miles. He always 

 declared that when he struck the stoat with the 

 stone, its companion called out ' Murder.' " 



The ermine is very prolific, bringing forth from 

 five to twelve young ones at a birth. These are 

 born about April or May, and are of a pale yellow 

 colour. It avoids water, and if forcibly thrown into 

 it, swims awkwardly, like a cat, and, unlike the 

 fisher and pine marten, it never pursues its prey on 

 trees ; in fact it rarely leaves the ground, except to 

 L 2 



