VO INVEREHNE. 



boys' traps, and was at last caught itself in a rat trap. I don't 

 know a more courageous little animal than the weasel. When 

 overtaken by a dog it flies directly at the dog's head and bites 

 furiously. I also shot a beautiful milk-white stoat that came out 

 of a rabbit hole where I was ferreting. 



January loth. The wigeon now begin to feed very con- 

 stantly and quietly on the grassy banks and islands about the 

 bay, grazing along like tame geese in close flocks. Partridges 

 during the hard frost feed on clover very much. In this country 

 they never get lean, apparently requiring very little food. In 

 the snow they are unapproachable, though I remember once, 

 when a boy at school, killing nearly a whole covey in the snow. 

 I was lying hid, and a covey of partridges came within shot of 

 the old flint gun that I had borrowed for the occasion, so I shot 

 at them, killing three. Seeing that the rest of the covey did not 

 move away, but after looking up collected round their dead 

 companions, I fired again (having reloaded), killing one or two 

 more. Still keeping concealed, I again loaded and got another 

 shot, and might have killed them to the last had not the school- 

 fellow who was with me raised himself, when the birds imme- 

 diately flew away ; that is, the few that remained alive flew 

 away. Although I cannot plead guilty to ever having tried the 

 same plan again, I have been told that these birds never fly oft' 

 from the report of the gun till they see the shooter. 



Wigeon in large flocks, and feeding all day on the grass 

 banks very greedily. 



I see that the mallard duck feeds now very much in the 

 last year's potato fields. In the crop of one that I opened I 

 found a great quantity of potatoes, oats, and shrimps. I never 

 observed them feed on potatoes till this year. I fancy that they 

 are attracted by the vast quantity of half-rotten potatoes left in 

 the fields owing to the failure of that crop this season. My own 

 ducks appeared very fond of feeding on the diseased and half- 

 rotten potatoes that were put in a heap and covered slightly over 

 with mould, the ducks grubbing and digging them up to a 

 considerable depth. 



