286 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



and by consequence the old man too, who hobbled off 

 in a fright, leaving the bundle to the bull's mercy. 

 The animal reflecting on this issue became savagely 

 addicted to butting from that day. It is with young 

 bulls as with young boys; be firm, patient, and con- 

 siderate. Promptly check any liberty taken ; acknow- 

 ledge and reward obedience. And now I think my 

 reader will have had enough of the subject. 



There have been several salmon taken by anglers 

 in the pool under the house, but I find that there is 

 also there a gang of otters bent on spoil. One of the 

 professional fishermen informed me first. You may 

 hear them " whistle in the stilly night," and the mud 

 is covered with their cat-like tracks. 



Being out early this morning, I found two of my men 

 hotly tearing down a bank into which they had seen a 

 weasel run. I disapproved and stopped them, for last 

 week one of the stack-yard cats caught one and killed 

 it, and on thrashing out a rick alongside we found no 

 less than fifty rats, young and old, which this foreigner 

 had doubtless come after. This vermin swarm had 

 invaded us when our neighbour cleared his granaries, 

 for we had been comparatively free before. The weasel 

 I think does more good than harm. The stoat is of 

 quite another sort. When we set about thrashing we 

 had the gardener's fruit-tree nets stretched around the 

 proceedings; the consequence was that not an indi- 

 vidual rat escaped. The temers caught every single 

 one, no matter where they broke, being baffled by 

 this fence, which they were not allowed time to gnaw 

 through. But I have shot my allotted arrows. 



