THE FITCH. 81 



instead of forming a subterranean retreat, content themselves 

 with a lodging under hayricks. During the day-time they 

 usually remain in close concealment, but at night they sally 

 forth in search of prey. 



The fitch is very nimble and active in its movements, running 

 very fast, and accelerating its progress by a succession of leaps, 

 arching its back each time it is about to spring from the 

 ground : it also creeps up walls with great facility. In walking, 

 the belly seems to touch the ground, owing to the shortness of 

 the legs. 



Being a pursuing, rather than a pursued, animal, it has its 

 external organs for conveying impressions to the senses placed 

 as forward as possible. " Its external auditory tube," Dr. Farrar 

 observes, " is similar in length and diameter to the hare's 

 placed at an angle of forty-five degrees, but pointing from behind, 

 in a direction downwards and forwards ; in fact, the very oppo- 

 site to its position in the hare. When we consider the habits of 

 the fitch, and behold the structure containing one sense, acting 

 in concert with and supporting another still more valuable to 

 the animal's existence, we cannot but wonder at the excellence 

 of these arrangements. From this tube being placed very forward, 

 we should naturally conclude that this animal's sense of hearing 

 is necessarily much less acute from behind than before ; and 

 this supposition is strongly supported by the following circum- 

 stance. A farmer in my neighbourhood had his poultry disturbed 

 on several successive nights, and one day he discovered near his 

 residence a couple of fitches, gamboling in a very frolicksome 

 manner. Approaching them cautiously from behind, he was 

 enabled to come within a very few yards of them. He levelled 

 his loaded gun, but it missed fire. This occurred five or six 

 times without a single spark being elicited from his flint ; and 

 notwithstanding all this hammering in their rear, the animals 

 were never in the least alarmed. At last, however, he was 

 successful in obtaining one of them ; but the other made its 

 escape. On my examining the skull of the one he had shot, I 

 was satisfied that though the fitch may hear sounds behind 



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