252 ANIMAL COMPETITORS 



outside to prevent their escape. The little animal 

 soon commenced his work of destruction. The squeak- 

 ing of the rats was heard throughout the day. In the 

 evening, it came out licking its mouth, and seemed 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 were observed, which, although they had been 

 killed in different parts of the building, had been 

 dragged together, forming a compact heap. 



"The ermine is then of immense benefit to the 

 farmer. We are of the opinion that it has been over- 

 hated and too indiscriminately persecuted." 



Again, in another place, Dr. Bachman returns 

 to the weasel's abilities as follows: 



"We have traced the footsteps of this bloodsucking 

 little animal on the snow, pursuing the trail of the 

 American rabbit, and although it could not overtake 

 its prey by superior speed, yet the timid hare soon 

 took refuge in the hollow of a tree, or in a hole dug 

 by the marmot or skunk. Thither it was pursued 

 by the ermine and destroyed, the skin and other re- 

 mains at the mouth of the burrow bearing evidence 

 of the fact. We observed an ermine, after having 

 captured a hare of the above species, first behead it 

 and then drag the body some twenty yards over the 

 fresh fallen snow, beneath which it was concealed, and 

 the snow lightly pressed down over it; the little 

 prowler displaying thereby a habit of which we be- 

 came aware for the first time on that occasion. To 



