WEASEL AND SMALL BIRDS 105 



beast. There was an oak tree, with some scanty thorn- 

 bushes growing beside the trunk, and stealing quietly 

 to the spot I peeped through the screening thorns, and 

 saw a weasel lying coiled round, snakewise, at the roots 

 of the oak in a bed of dead leaves. He was grinning 

 and chattering at the birds, his whole body quivering 

 with excitement. Close to him on the twigs above the 

 birds were perched, and fluttering from twig to twig 

 chaffinches, wrens, robins, dunnocks, ox-eyes, and two or 

 three willow-wrens and chiffchaffs. The chaffinches 

 were the most excited, and were nearest to him. 

 Suddenly, after a few moments, the weasel began 

 wriggling and spinning round with such velocity that 

 his shape became indistinguishable, and he appeared as 

 a small round red object violently agitated, his rapid 

 motions stirring up the dead leaves so that they 

 fluttered about him. Then he was still again, but 

 chattering and quivering, then again the violent motion, 

 and each time he made this extraordinary movement 

 the excitement and cries of the birds increased and 

 they fluttered closer down on the twigs. Unluckily, 

 just when I was on the point of actually witnessing the 

 end of this strange little drama a chaffinch, I am sure, 

 would have been the victim the little flat-headed 

 wretch became aware of my presence, not five yards 

 from him, and springing up he scuttled into hiding. 



If, as I think, certain species of birds are so thrown 

 off their mental balance by the sight of this enemy as to 

 come in their frenzy down to be taken by him, it is 



