Weasels hunting in Packs. 1 1 9 



rear with earth, and so at the last moment chokes off 

 his assailant and finds safety almost in the death- 

 agony. In the woods, once the rabbit is away from 

 the ' buries,' the chase really does resemble a hunt ; 

 from furze-bush to bracken, from fern to rough grass, 

 round and round, backwards, doubling, to and fro, 

 and all in vain. 



At such times, eager for blood, the weasel will run 

 right across your path, almost close enough to be 

 kicked. Pursue him in turn, and if there be no hedge 

 or hole near, if you have him in the open, he will dart 

 hither and thither right between your legs, uttering a 

 sharp short note of anger and alarm, something com- 

 posed of a tiny bark and a scream. He is easily 

 killed with a stick when you catch him in the open, 

 for he is by no means swift ; but if a hedge be near it 

 is impossible to secure him. 



Weasels frequently hunt in couples, and sometimes 

 more than two will work together. I once saw five, 

 and have heard of eight. The five I saw were 

 working a sandy bank drilled with holes, from which 

 the rabbits in wild alarm were darting in all directions. 

 The weasels raced from hole to hole and along the 

 sides of the bank exactly like a pack of hounds, and 

 seemed intensely excited. Their manner of hunting 

 resembles the motions of ants ; these insects run a 



