THE WEASEL. 229 



interested in having a true account of the weasel, in order that they 

 may ascertain how far it is their interest to protect it, or to adopt 

 measures for its destruction. The weasel is certainly capable of 

 destroying our common game, such as hares, pheasants, and part- 

 ridges j for the herculean formation of his fore parts enables him to 

 overcome animals vastly his superior in size. His attack upon the 

 hare and rabbit is always uniform and decisive ; he fixes his teeth 

 into the neck of these animals, just behind the ear, and death follows 

 the bite in a very few minutes. 



Some two or three months ago, I heard the squeal of a rabbit 

 whilst I was working in the flower-garden ; and on arriving at the 

 place whence it proceeded, I found the keeper there before me, with 

 a fine old rabbit in his hand. He had seen the weasel on the 

 rabbit's back, as he was proceeding down the hill ; and he had 

 scarcely rescued it from the grasp of its destroyer ere it died in his 

 hand. I took out my penknife, and I dissected the death-wound, 

 which was just under the ear. There was no laceration to be seen. 

 Two small punctures merely appeared, as though they had been done 

 with the point of a pin ; and they were surrounded by a spot of 

 extravasated blood about the size of a sixpence. 



The rabbit is what may be termed short-winded, and is easily run 

 down j whilst, on the contrary, the hare is known to afford a long 

 chase ; hence, the rabbit has not so good a chance as the hare of 

 escaping from the weasel. 



Individuals of the weasel tribe pursue their prey by the scent ; 

 but cats trust to their eye, and pounce on their quarry at a single 

 bound. 



On a summer's evening, in the year 1815, I went over with my 

 air-gun to my neighbour, Sir William Pilkington, in order to thin 

 his abundant crop of rabbits j and I sat me down on a lonely bank, 

 within thirty yards of a plantation where they had a strong settle- 

 ment. A full-grown rabbit soon made its appearance. It took a 

 circuit of nearly ten paces, and re-entered the plantation. Scarcely 

 had it disappeared from view, when a weasel came out upon ks 

 track, and followed scent with the sagacity of a hound. The rabbit 

 soon came out of the wood again, in violent agitation, and quickly 

 returned to cover. Out came the weasel a second time, and followed 



