CHAPTER THIRTEEN WEASELS 



over. I cannot express my regret at the fate of this poor 

 creature, when I saw that her death was caused wholly by 

 her maternal affection. Notwithstanding the havoc which 

 these animals make among my rabbits, nothing would 

 have induced me to molest her, had I known what she was 

 carrying. 



The track of the stoat is very like that of a young rabbit, 

 and may be easily mistaken for it. They travel over an a- 

 mazingextent of groundin their nocturnal rambles, as their 

 marks inthesnowcan testify. The edges of rivers and brooks 

 seem their favourite hunting-places. By some meansorother 

 they manage to catch eels. I tracked a stoat from the edge 

 of a ditch to its own hole, at the distance of several hun- 

 dred yards. He had been carrying some heavy body, as I 

 could plainly see by the marks in the snow; and this, ondigg- 

 ingout the hole, I found to be an eel about nine inches lons^. 

 No bait is better for all kinds of the weasel tribe than fish, 

 which they seem to have a great liking for, and evidently 

 feed upon whenever they inhabit a neighbourhood where 

 they can procure them. 



The polecat is now comparatively rare in this country, 

 in consequence of the number of gamekeepers and vermin- 

 trappers: they still, however, frequent the banks of the river, 

 where they take shelter among the loose stones and rocks. 

 There is no difference in appearance between the polecat 

 and the brown ferret,* who also partakes very frequently of 



*The ferret is but a domesticated polecat or foumart {i.e. foul mart), as it is called in 

 Scotland, the white ferret being merely an albino variety of the species [Putoiius pul- 

 erius). This fine little beast of prey is practically extinct in the greater part of Scotland, 

 the race having succumbed to incessant persecution in the interest of game and the ease 

 with which they are taken in a baited trap. The late Mr Robert Service gave some part- 



167 



