238 A GAMEKEEPER'S NOTE-BOOK 



at intervals, as if to gain fresh power for driving in 

 the needle-sharp teeth. ... At such a moment the 

 keeper feels more than ever justified in shooting a 

 stoat. 



Waiting for the end of such a rabbit hunt, for a 

 moment we lost sight of the chase ; then felt certain 

 we could hear the hoarse breathing of the captured 

 rabbit in a thick spot, on the opposite side of the 

 20-foot ride near where we were standing. Yet we 

 felt certain that neither stoat nor rabbit had crossed 

 from our side. We waited, and sure enough the stoat 

 caught the rabbit almost at our feet, where we had 

 thought them to be. The mystery of the heavy 

 breathing remained the sound was exactly that of a 

 rabbit being mauled by a ferret within a burrow. 

 We crossed the ride, made search, and discovered a 

 large hedgehog curled up in its nest. While the 

 bloodthirsty business had been going forward six or 

 seven yards away, the hedgehog had lain snugly 

 wrapped in winter sleep actually snoring ! 



* v v 



A stoat, if accidentally deprived of its power of scent, 

 would soon come to starvation. All animals depend 



on scent not only for their food but for their 

 Mysteries protection, their power of recognition, and 

 Seent ^ or near ^y &U tne interests of their lives. 



The scent given off varies with occasion. 

 In a state of rest it is modified. Thus a game-bird 

 who has been on its nest for some time is in less danger 



