196 WOODLAND, MOOR, AND STREAM 



breed is in existence now, to my certain knowledge, 

 though some may doubt the fact. They will herd 

 sheep or horned cattle, kill a rat or catch a hare, 

 stand at a snipe or plover, and for the purposes of 

 retrieving they are as good as the best water spaniels, 

 and far more powerful when they swim, at racing 

 speed, in the tide that runs on the flats. Under cer- 

 tain conditions and influences they are high-mettled 

 dogs, and slow to anger as a rule, but when roused 

 they are desperate fighters. Those who are versed 

 in dog-lore can give a shrewd guess how the breed 

 originated. I have known them run and kill hares 

 when their coats were at their thickest. It is a long 

 jump from the weasel tribe to the dogs, but I could 

 not introduce the death of this most vicious member 

 of his tribe and leave Bob out of the hunt. Between 

 him and me there was a great personal friendship. 



That beautiful and active little animal, the stoat 

 or ermine, is I foot 3 inches in length from tip of 

 nose to end of tail as a rule, though his size varies a 

 little. In the summer his fur is a warm red colour 

 above and cream-white below, the tip of his tail 

 black. If the weather is hard he will change to a 

 creamy white, the tip of his tail excepted. In that 

 condition it forms the ermine fur of commerce. He 

 is as bold as his larger relatives, and far more dash- 



