CHAPTER XX 



THE COURAGE OF THE SMALLER ANIMALS 



AMONG animals courage seems to bear no relation to 

 size. Many of the smaller creatures exhibit courage 

 in an astonishing degree, and though in a few animals 

 such as the lemming which, though no bigger than 

 a field-vole, will attack and bite the boots of any 

 one who interferes with it or the Tasmanian " devil " 

 this may be due to low brain-power, a great propor- 

 tion of the smaller creatures are endowed with a 

 large share of brains and courage combined. The 

 weasel tribe, all of which are small animals, are almost 

 the most courageous of any. Unfortunately they 

 are also the most bloodthirsty, and the greater 

 number of their victims are harmless and defenceless 

 creatures. But there are abundant instances on record 

 in which they have attacked, without the slightest 

 hesitation, either man or any large animal whom they 

 considered to be at all likely to do them an injury. 

 The story of Thomas Edwards's encounter with a 

 polecat in a cave near the coast was written as evidence 

 of the courage of the naturalist. We have always 

 regarded it, from the polecat's point of view, as an 

 instance of astonishing courage in so small a creature. 

 In North America one of the largest of the weasel 



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