VERMIN 113 



in Perthshire, in company with the keeper, we had our 

 attention attracted by the peculiar action of a hen 

 grouse jumping in the air. Approaching the place, we 

 observed' a weasel looking out of a hole among the 

 heather. With the aid of our sticks we dug out the 

 hole, and discovered five young grouse, about a week 

 old, which had been killed and dragged in. 



Another illustration in point. A neighbour's boy 

 had a pair of rabbits confined in a house, with a brood 

 of eight young ones nearly half-grown ; and a second 

 litter, seven in number, about ten days old. Hearing 

 a noise about seven o'clock one evening in the rabbit- 

 house, the boy went to ascertain the cause. On opening 

 the door, a weasel made its exit by a small hole, and 

 effected its escape. It was soon found that the entire 

 fifteen young rabbits had been cruelly slaughtered, 

 the speck of blood behind the ear revealing the spot 

 where the weasel tribe, with unerring accuracy, seize 

 their prey and quickly extinguish the lives of their 

 victims. The noise which attracted attention was 

 caused by the old pair of rabbits defending themselves 

 as they best could ; but there can be no doubt that had 

 attention not been attracted, they would have shared 

 the same fate as their progeny. 



Another illustration in point. While collecting the 

 stoats and weasels already referred to, I experimented 

 with them for the purpose of acquiring knowledge at 

 first-hand as to their bloodthirsty habits. It has been 

 argued that wild predatory birds and beasts kill only to 



