448 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



and almost caught the Moorhen, who ran into the 

 soft mud and water, where the stoat could not follow 

 him : he, however, went back and hid again, when 

 the Moorhen came hack and searched about as 

 before, and the stoat again jumped at him. This 

 happened several times; at last the Moorhen, in- 

 stead of searching about, beat a retreat up a thick 

 ditch and through some brambles for about twenty 

 yards, when he came out into an open grass field 

 and walked quietly away : soon after the stoat came 

 upon the scent, which he lost for a moment, where 

 the Moorhen had flown over a deep part of the 

 ditch, but, after making a short cast, he soon hit 

 off the scent again, and run the Moorhen from scent 

 to view in a very short time, who, however, only ran 

 till the stoat was almost upon him, when he took to 

 wing and flew into a plantation close by. I then 

 thought it was all over and that the stoat was beat ; 

 so I suppose thought the Moorhens, for the old hen 

 brought out her brood again, and the male joined 

 them. There was soon, however, another rush and 

 flight of the hen and the young ones, and the stoat 

 again made his appearance. How it would eventually 

 have ended I do not know, probably badly for the 

 Moorhen, as the stoat was very persevering; but at 

 this juncture my friend came up with his gun, and 

 put an end to the proceedings by shooting the stoat 

 as he was making a rush upon the old Moorhen. 

 There is a very different account of an attack by 



