WEASEL. 
119 
among them, continually crossing his own track, and then, 
making a little circle, he came to the hank a good way 
from where we sat, and, climbing over it, got into the foot- 
path about a hundred yards from us ; he then ran towards 
us with all his might, straight along the middle of the path, 
and passed under the stile on which we were perched, mo- 
tionless and smiling, like the statues of Tam o'Shanter and 
Souter Johnny, and about ten yards behind us he went 
into the thick bank, and was lost to our view. The weasel 
hunted well in the little, low bank, and seemed a good 
deal puzzled, staying there much longer than the rat ; at 
last he seemed to find out that the game had taken to the 
turnips : here he pursued him with great earnestness; but, 
finding the trick that had been played to puzzle him, he 
made a cast, like a well-trained fox-hound, going com- 
pletely outside all the trail : by this scheme he gained on 
the rat by hitting off the scent just where he had gone 
over the little bank the last time. In a few moments he 
was in the foot-path, and came galloping towards us in 
fine style, his back arched, his head up, and his tail in a 
straight line behind him.* He passed under us, and in his 
* It appears from the following extract that weasels occasionally pursue 
their prey in packs : — " The following remarkable anecdote was communicated 
to me by Mr. W. Withington, Curator to the Fairlield Mechanics' Institute. 
A gamekeeper in the employ of Mr. Hume, of Medlock Vale, whilst taking an 
early stroll in the woods that border on the river, saw a hare pass near him, 
apparently much fatigued with long running. He stood on the watch, ex- 
pecting to find some poacher's dog in pursuit, and soon heard a faint cry or 
yelping, which could not proceed from dogs. A large pack of weasels then 
came in view, in full cry after the hare, which they must soon have overtaken, 
as it was already exhausted. The chase was, however, stopped by the game- 
keeper discharging both barrels into the midst of the weasels, when, according 
to his own probably heightened account, seventeen remained dead, and the 
rest dispersed. I might add, that weasels are exceedingly plentiful along the 
Medlock.—/. W. Slater; Fairjield." Zool. 1462. 
