82 THE WEASEL AND THE STOAT (THE ERMINE). 



other, tearing along the road towards us. Their 

 tails and fur were bushed out, making them look 

 double their real size, and we could hear the angry 

 chattering sound they were both uttering. They 

 saw the car immediately, and swerved ; then the 

 foremost one, in its eagerness to escape its pursuer, 

 made straight for the car again, passing clean 

 between the front-wheels. Without hesitation the 

 other followed, while my brother and I hastily 

 dismounted, clutched our sticks, and gave chase. 

 For fully five minutes we hunted the two little 

 demons up and down the roadside, several times 

 being within an inch of killing one or the other ; 

 yet so preoccupied were they in hunting each 

 other that they took very little notice of us, at 

 times breaking cover, and, in the eagerness of their 

 feud, taking appalling risks of having their spines 

 broken by our sticks. I believe both stoats and 

 weasels often hunt each other down in this way, 

 following and fighting till one or the other is 

 killed. 



When a boy I caught a stoat in the very act 

 of killing a rabbit, but the little brute saw me and 

 made for the wall, not abandoning the rabbit until 

 he was compelled. The rabbit being now quite 

 dead, I tied one of its hind-legs to the roots of a 

 Scotch thistle, then, with my stick ready, waited 

 out of view. After four or five minutes the 

 stoat reappeared, made a careful survey, then 

 darted again upon the rabbit, shaking and worrying 

 the poor dead creature like a miniature tiger. He 

 next tried to drag it away, and, unable to do so, 

 his fury was laughable to witness. Quietly I rose 

 and darted towards the place. Seeing me, the 

 stoat chattered and snarled, still dragging at the 

 rabbit ; but he delayed a moment too long, as I 



