172 WILD ANIMALS WORTH STALKING 



enemies are the Stoat and Weasel; the former is 

 the most deadly owing to being strongest and 

 fastest. The Rabbit a Stoat selects is nearly 

 always a young one, if an adult, or one of the last 

 season's breeding. W^hy this is so is difficult to 

 discover, unless it is that a young one is more 

 easily caught than older and more experienced 

 animals. I have many times heard of a Stoat 

 hunting a Rabbit by scent much in the same way 

 a hound would do, but the hunt is not often a 

 long one, for the Rabbit seems to get so terrified 

 that it appears unable to move and lies helplessly 

 down to await his fate. I have sometimes come 

 across a Rabbit that has been hunted by a Stoat 

 and, although not injured in any way, it has been 

 too frightened to move and allowed me to pick it up. 

 During the breeding season the Stoat confines 

 its attacks to the very young Rabbits. I have at 

 this time of the year often seen the old doe boldly 

 come to the rescue of one of her youngsters and 

 beat off a Stoat by savage kicks, showing what a 

 devoted mother she is. 



