THE FITCH. S3 



the victims of its sanguinary disposition. Geese and ducks are 

 frequently destroyed by it. Mr. Neville Wood says, that one 

 morning he found, on entering an out-house at Foston Hall, in 

 Derbyshire, ten young ducks lying dead, each with a hole in the 

 neck 5 and in a few moments, a fitch marched out towards him, 

 licking its yet bloody jaws, and without manifesting the slightest 

 alarm. It drains both mammals and birds so thoroughly of 

 their blood, that their flesh is soon rendered as white as veal. 

 While a drop of blood is to be got it does not eat much, if any, 

 of the flesh 3 and it would appear to carry off and stow away the 

 carcases, merely in case of their being required for food, when 

 perchance it cannot procure enough of its favourite fluid : at 

 any rate the stolen carcases are frequently found in a putrid 

 state, which would imply that the animal cares little about them. 



The reptiles which it preys upon are frogs and toads. The 

 Selkirkshire naturalist before quoted says, that in the month of 

 June he noticed a narrow track leading from the long grass of 

 a meadow, towards the bank of the river Ettrick, and which 

 track he concluded was the morning path of a fitch. Having 

 traced it to its termination at a hole in the ground, he procured 

 a spade, and dug out five young fitches, nearly half-grown, 

 sleek, clean, well-fed, and really pretty innocent-looking things. 

 They were comfortably reposing in dry withered grass. From 

 an apartment or larder at the side of them, he poked out and 

 counted forty large frogs and two toads, all of which possessed 

 enough life, and only enough, to sprawl their limbs out a little, 

 but were incapable of moving away or intruding into the nursery. 

 On examining them, he found that they had all been dexterously 

 bitten through the brain, and, as he conjectures, for the purpose 

 of keeping them in a state of reduced vitality until intended to 

 be eaten. No other animals were found in its larder. 



That the fitch will prey upon fish is attested by Aldrovand, 

 Jonston, and several other ancient zoologists ; and the fact is 

 confirmed by more recent observers, especially by one who has 

 described the habits of our native animals with as much correct- 

 ness as he has displayed in representing their forms and attitudes 



