94 THE COMMON WEASEL. 



young asparagus : it appeared to be in search of a hole to escape 

 into, and disappeared, at last, amongst some bushes at the end 

 of a wall. At about the same instant a weasel appeared from 

 the same spot in the hedge from which the mouse had started, 

 and followed all the several windings it had taken, exactly in 

 the manner of a dog ' on scent,' and disappeared at the same 

 spot."* 



Nearly two hundred years ago, it was stated by Lovell and 

 Franzius, that the weasel feeds on moles j and, in later times, 

 Gilbert White suspected that it preys on them, from the fact of its 

 being sometimes caught in mole-traps. In 1831, however, an 

 instance was published of a weasel having been actually seen to 

 make several attempts to get a captured mole out of the wires of a 

 trap. " The weasel ran up the stick which formed the spring of 

 the trap, and then descended on the captive, which he seized j 

 and tried, by wriggling, twisting, and hanging by it, to appro- 

 priate to his own use, but without success. When exhausted 

 with his efforts, he relinquished his hold, and dropped on the 

 ground ; where, having taken breath, he ran up the stick again, 

 and renewed his task with redoubled ardour."f Mr. Couch, of 

 Polperro, in Cornwall, also states that the weasel preys on 

 moles. J 



Besides hares, rabbits, moles, common rats, and mice, it 

 destroys water-rats and field-mice ; even birds are not free 

 from the attacks of this little but most determined animal. It 

 destroys common fowls, ducks, partridges, pigeons, and spar- 

 rows, and is most partial to young birds. It is also fond of 

 eggs, and will kill the hen if she attempt to protect them from 

 its invasion. Before eating an egg it makes a small hole at one 

 end, through which it sucks the contents, leaving the shell 

 entire, with the exception of this little orifice. It has been 

 stated to destroy great quantities of insects; and though this 



* Mag. Nat. Hist. (1833), vol.vi. p. 268 ; abridged. 



f Ibid. (1831), vol.iv. p. 337. 



I Ibid. (1834), vol. vii. p. 500. 



Dictionary of Nat. Hist, or a Summary of Zoology. (No date.) 



