THE HAYMAKER OF THE HEIGHTS = 27 
Possibly the cony carried by the weasel was 
another cony. Just what may have become 
of Rocky I cannot be sure. Possibly he was 
crushed by the settling of the rock walls of his 
house; a fox, eagle, or weasel may have seized 
him. But at any rate, I never saw him again 
that I know of, and that autumn no busy little 
haymaker appeared in the meadow among the 
boulders. 
The weasel is the most persistent and effective 
enemy of the cony. Evidently he is dreaded by 
them. Bears, lions, coyotes, foxes, and eagles 
occasionally catch a cony; but the weasel often 
does. The weasel is agile, powerful, slender 
bodied, and can follow a cony into the smaller 
hiding places of the den and capture him. Dur- 
ing winter he is the snow-white ermine, and in 
white easily slips up over the snow unseen. He 
can outrun, outdodge a cony, and then, too, he 
is a trained killer. From the weasel there is 
no escape for the cony. 
During winter rambles in cony highlands I 
occasionally discovered a stack of hay on the 
surface. Most stacks are moved into the dens 
before winter is on. 
When a stack is left outside it commonly 
means that either the stack is exceptionally 
well sheltered from wind and snow, and in easy 
and safe reach of the cony, or else the little 
