HABITS OF EATS, 37 



a very common thing to find Eats in the rabbit 

 burrows when ferreting; in fact, I have 

 seen, not once, but many times, Eats, rabbits, 

 and weasels all bolt from the same burrow. I 

 have also unearthed a Eat and a rabbit 

 together out of one single burrow. 



Now as to keeping Eats in store cages at 

 home. Look well after them, and I think it is 

 possible to keep them alive for quite a year ; 

 but if you keep, say, 20 in one store cage and 

 neglect their feeding, you will find that when 

 hungry in the night they will kill the weakest 

 of their number and eat it, sometimes even 

 eating two or three in one night, leaving the 

 skin as clean as if a man had skinned them. 

 It is always the best plan to put the Eats in 

 different cages, according to their sizes. The 

 young ones together, the old ones together, and 

 the middle-aged ones together, as they keep 

 themselves much cleaner when thus divided, 

 and do not fight so much as they would other- 

 wise. They must also be kept in a warm place ; 

 if not, they soon have cramp. Also keep them 

 in a dark place and see that they have plenty 

 of water ; sprinkle them now and then with it 

 so that they will w r ash themselves. It is 

 astonishing what a hungry Eat will do. I 

 I have seen them in the summer at dusk run 

 at an old hen with her chickens under her, 



