512 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



small, clean-cut teeth marks in the neck or under the wing 

 is proof of this enemy." 



Mr. H. B. Bigelow of Cohasset writes: "Weasels kill 

 some small birds, principally sparrows, along stone walls 

 and hedge rows, where I have found several carcasses, prin- 

 cipally, however, English sparrows. In Milton I saw a 

 weasel stalk an English sparrow along a stone wall. They 

 are said to destroy some quail." 



Weasels are remarkably savage and bloodthirsty animals, 

 but seem to feed mostly on mice, shrews and moles, for 

 which they hunt daily. When hunting they quarter over 

 the ground much more closely than does the fox, therefore 

 they are more likely to stumble on the nests of birds. An 

 animal which can kill six fowls in a night, as I have known 

 a weasel to do, would easily kill a sitting grouse or any 

 smaller bird which it could surprise on its nest at night. 



The weasel is very brave and active. Weasels occasion- 

 ally attack even human beings. There is an old story of 

 an English girl who was found dead on a moor, her body 

 partly eaten by a party of weasels. I was once, when a 

 boy, attacked by ten of these creatures. They made the 

 occasion quite interesting for me for some minutes, and by 

 reason of their great activity all but one escaped unharmed. 



Mr. John Burroughs has observed that weasels can climb 

 trees.* This makes them much more formidable enemies to 

 birds than they otherwise would be, but, as their vision is 

 not particularly acute, and as they rely largely on scent, 

 they are likely to be often at fault. Fortunately, they are 

 not common, but I have never seen any explanation for 

 their comparative scarcity. They have many young and few 

 enemies, although the larger hawks and owls get some of 

 them. They can escape the fox by climbing or hiding. 

 Weasels are not often shot, and traps are seldom set for 

 them, but they are often caught in traps set for other ani- 

 mals. 



It is quite possible that these bloodthirsty, ravenous crea- 

 tures are cannibals. Other carnivorous animals, such as 

 predaceous beetles, owls and wolves, are cannibalistic. Mr. 



* " Squirrels and other fur bearers," John Burroughs, p. 87. 



