THE SHORT-TAILED FIELD VOLE 



little hope for any mouse that it once begins 

 to hunt. No matter how the unfortunate 

 vole turns and twists, doubles and tries to 

 confuse its trail with that of other mice, the 

 weasel will follow the scent through all the 

 burrows and pathways until it at last comes 

 up with its victim. A weasel's presence in 

 the ' runs ' causes instant terror among the 

 mice ; they rush frantically in all directions, 

 though, like a rabbit hunted by a stoat, they 

 do not go far before they stop to listen and see 

 whether the weasel is really on their track or 

 that of some other vole, for if the latter they 

 can slip quietly home again. But the poor 

 little mouse that the weasel is really hunting 

 is doomed — ^nothing can save it ; all it can do 

 is to run wildly on, hoping, if it has the wits 

 left to hope, that the hunter may change to 

 the line of some other vole, which is a most 

 unlikely thing to happen. For no creature 

 knows better the arts of the chase ; it is well 

 aware that if it were continually changing, it 

 might hunt all day and never catch a mouse, 

 so it sticks to the first trail, puzzling out with 

 patience the places where the scent is crossed 

 by trails of other voles, and becomes so intent 

 on the hunt as to have no eyes, ears, or nose 



267 



