THE GAMEKEEPER AND HIS GOLGOTHA. 105 



and many were taken from the burrows with 

 the skulls empty. The Stoat progresses by a 

 series of short quick leaps, which enable it to 

 cover the ground more swiftly than could pos- 

 sibly be imagined of so small an animal. 



Enough has been said to sketch the cha- 

 racters of these creatures, and to justify their 

 presence in the Keeper's larder. Interesting in 

 themselves, as wild denizens of the woods they 

 are fatal to game-preserving. But yet, with 

 what indignation did I lately see a game- 

 keeper put his heel into the nest of a Merlin 

 containing four bright rufous eggs ! 



Foxes abound in the fastnesses of the fells, 

 and the little wiry foxhounds that hunt the 

 mountains in winter account for but few in a 

 season ; and so it devolves upon the Shepherds 

 and Gamekeepers to deal with them. This 

 they do irrespective of season. If allowed to 

 live, the foxes would destroy abundance of 

 lambs in spring. They are tracked through 

 the snow in winter, shot in summer, and de- 

 stroyed wholesale when they bring their young 

 to the moors in autumn. It therefore happens, 

 that even the bright-red fur of the Fox may be 

 seen on the Keeper's gibbet. Hedgehogs are 



