62 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



burden. She ran towards a stone-wall, but was met by 

 a terrier, who killed her, catching her with the greater 

 facility in consequence of her obstinacy in carrying away 

 what Mr. St. John still thought was her prey. On pick- 

 ing it up, however, he found that it was a young weasel 

 unable to run, which its mother was endeavouring to 

 carry to a place of safety, her former hole in an adjoin- 

 ing field having been ploughed over. Another proof of 

 the weasel's affection for her young, was witnessed by a 

 labourer, who, while standing on a foot-path close to the 

 hedge side, perceived a weasel with one of her young 

 ones in her mouth. He kicked her, and she, dropping 

 it, retreated into a hedge. He then stood over the 

 young one with a stick in his hand, not intending to 

 kill it, but merely to see how its mother would proceed. 

 She soon peeped from her covert, and made several 

 feints to get at her charge, but was obliged to run into 

 the hedge again, intimidated by the stick which the man 

 flourished about. At last she summoned up all her 

 resolution, and, in spite of everything, after a great 

 deal of dodging to avoid the stick, succeeded in obtain- 

 ing the object of her solicitude, and bore it off between 

 the legs of her tormentor. 



Weasels sometimes fall a prey to hawks, and the 

 latter are occasionally overcome by them. I transcribe 

 the following account from the pages of Mr. Bell. ' As 

 a gentleman of the name of Finder was riding over his 

 grounds, he saw, at a short distance from him, a kite 

 pounce on some objects on the ground, and rise with it 

 in his talons. In a few moments, however, the kite be- 

 gan to show signs of great uneasiness, rising rapidly in 

 the air, or as quickly falling, and wheeling irregularly 

 round, whilst he was evidently endeavouring to free some 



