MAMMALS. 



119 



frequented burrow, and another at some distance, 

 for the photographer to lie in with his field-glasses 

 and pneumatic tube; but this is not at all times 

 necessary, as we have obtained equally good 

 pictures by other means, such as piling up a few 

 sticks, bushes, and sods, and leaving them a day or 

 two before attempting to hide the camera behind 

 them. This allows the animals to get accustomed 

 to the sight of the obstruction. 



It is very doubtful whether a successful sun 

 picture could be obtained of either a stoat or a 

 weasel at large, unless their nesting-places could be 

 found and watched. 



A keeper of Lord Aldenham's told me that one 

 day whilst sitting quite still near a pheasant's 

 nest, situated in the side of a hedge-bank, he was 

 astounded to see a stoat come along and take 

 two eggs from beneath the brooding bird without 

 disturbing her, and roll them into the ditch. He 

 killed the thief, and recovering the proceeds of his 

 robbery, neither of which was broken, placed them 

 under a barn-door fowl, and they were hatched out 

 in a couple of days. The pheasant also succeeded 

 in bringing off five chicks. The same man who 

 was a very intelligent observer, and could boast an 

 education above his station in life also told me 

 that he once watched a male stoat climb up to 

 a blackbird's nest in a hedgerow and take out a 

 young one that was almost ready to fly, and carry 

 it off to his own home in an old stump, where he 



