I20 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



The polecat is now comparatively rare in this country, in 

 consequence of the number of gamekeepers and vermin-trappers : 

 they still, however, frequent the banks of the river, where they take 

 shelter among the loose stones and rocks. There is no difference 

 in appearance between the polecat and the brown ferret, which also 

 partakes very frequently of the shyness of his wild relative, being 

 much more apt to become cross-tempered and ready to return to a 

 state of nature than the tamer white ferret. The polecat is ex- 

 tremely destructive — nothing comes amiss to it.^ I found in 

 the hole of a she-polecat, besides her young ones, three kittens 

 that had been drowned at the distance of at least a quarter of 

 a mile. Besides these, her larder contained the remains of 

 hares, rabbits, and of an infinity of birds and several eels. 



There was a wood-pigeon that had young ones nearly full- 

 grown in an ivy-covered tree close to the window of my 

 dressing-room. One morning I saw the old birds flying about 

 in distress, but I could see no hawk or bird of prey about. 

 Presently down fell one of the young birds, and in a moment 

 afterwards the other young one also fell to the ground, both 

 bleeding at the throat. I immediately loaded my gun, and 

 had the satisfaction of shooting a large polecat, which came 

 climbing down the tree and was just preparing to carry away 

 one of the young pigeons. 



Like the stoat, the polecat has a beautiful fur, rendered 

 useless by the strong odour of the animal. Notwithstanding 

 the quantity of game and other creatures killed by the polecat, 

 he does not appear to be very quick on the ground, and must 

 owe his success in hunting more to perseverance and cunning 

 than to activity. Like the stoat and weasel, this animal is easily 

 caught in box-traps, and is attracted in an extraordinary manner 

 by the smell of musk, which they appear quite unable to resist. 



In trapping all these small beasts with iron traps the bait 

 should be suspended at some little height above the trap, to 

 oblige them to jump up, and by so doing there is a better 

 chance that, notwithstanding their light weight, the trap will 

 be sprung. 



Formerly I frequently mistook the track of the marten-cat 

 for that of a hare, when seen in the snow. Its way of placing 

 its feet, and of moving by a succession of leaps, is quite similar 

 1 The polecat is very fond offish, tels, etc.— C. St. J. 



