The Common Weasel. 461 



States. Ermine-skins formed part of the Canada exports in the 

 time of Charlevoix ; but they have so sunk in value, that they are 

 said not to repay the Hudson's Bay Company the expense of 

 collecting them, and very few are brought to this country from 

 that quarter. 



" It appears that in England generally," says Mr. McGillivray, 

 *' the Ermine is less common than the Weasel ; but in Scotland, 

 even to the south of the Frith of Forth, it is certainly of more fre- 

 quent occurrence than that species ; and for one Weasel I have 

 seen at least five or six Ermines. It frequents stoney places and 

 thickets, among which it finds a secure retreat, as its agility ena- 

 bles it to outstrip even a dog in a short race, and the slimness of 

 its body allows it to enter a very small aperture. Patches of 

 furze, in particular, afford it perfect security, and it sometimes 

 takes pessession of a rabbit's burrow. It preys on game and other 

 birds, from the grouse and ptarmigan downwards, sometimes at- 

 tacks poultry or sucks their eggs, and is a determined enemy to rats 

 and moles. Young rabbits and hares frequently become victims 

 to its rapacity, and even full-grown individuals are sometimes de- 

 stroyed by it. Although in general it does not appear to hunt by 

 scent, yet it has been seen to trace its prey like a dog, following 

 its track with certainty. Its motions are elegant, and its appear- 

 ance extremely animated. It moves by leaping or bounding, and 

 is capable of running with great speed, although it seldom trusts 

 itself beyond the immediate vicinity of cover. Under the excite- 

 ment of pursuit howev'er its courage is surprising, for it will attack, 

 seize by the throat, and cling to a grouse, hare, or other animal, 

 strong enough to carry it off", and it does not hesitate on occasion 

 to betake itself to the vater. Sometimes when met with in a 

 thicket or stoney place, it will stand and gaze upon the intruder, 

 as if conscious of security ; and, although its boldness has been 

 exaggerated in the popular stories which have made their way into 

 books of natural history, it cannot be denied that, in proportion to 

 its size, it is at least as courageous as the tiger or the lion." 



Mr. Bell was informed by the Rev. F. W. Hope that the latter, 

 while shooting in Shropshirq, was attracted by the loud shrill 

 scream of a hare which he thought had been just caught in a 

 poacher's snare. He ran towards the spot, and there saw a hare 

 limping off", apparently in great distress, with something attached 

 to the side of the throat. This proved to be a stoat, and the 

 stricken hare made its way into the brushwood with its enemy 



