WEASEL 53 



reappeared, now sitting bolt upright (its heart throbbing with 

 excitement), now plunging out of sight again, or bounding 

 along the bank and across the road to see if the lost dainty 

 could not be more easily recovered from the opposite bank. 

 Having repeated these manreuvres for some time, it at last 

 made a bold dash at the vole, and would have carried it off, 

 but for my interference. Occasionally, however, one sees 

 manifestations of its cruelty that make us think of revenge. 

 In June 1890, while sauntering along a secluded path in 

 Gosford woods, I noticed a thrush's nest in a bush about five 

 feet from the ground, and being curious to see what it con- 

 tained, I proceeded to pull the branch on which the nest rested 

 towards me, when out sprang a Weasel. In the nest were 

 the mangled remains of several young mavises not more than 

 five or six days old, on which it had feasted. Nevertheless, 

 I would be extremely sorry to see so interesting a member 

 of our ferce naturce wiped out of our fauna. To the farmer 

 it is an undoubted friend, and he should certainly be the last 

 to lift a hand against it. 



In 1888 Mr T. Speedy obtained from this and other parts 

 of Scotland several hundred Weasels and Stoats for trans- 

 portation alive to New Zealand, where they have been turned 

 down in the hope that they may provide a natural remedy 

 for the Eabbit plague in that country. 



STOAT OR ERMINE. 



MUSTELA ERMINEA L. 



In spite of persistent persecution, the Stoat is still by no 

 means rare, though not so numerous as the Weasel. It is 

 of course more confined to the hilly districts than that 



