THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
Like most other wild animals, rabbits have a host of natural enemies. 
Foremost amongst these, because so pertinacious a pursuer, hunting by 
scent, is the stoat, which will not only enter a burrow, like a ferret, and 
cause the inmates to bolt, but will pursue a rabbit in the open like a fox- 
hound, and sooner or later overtake it and kill it. 
I have many times been an eye-witness of both these manoeuvres, and, 
standing motionless to watch the performance, have been struck with the 
courage and pertinacity displayed by a stoat in attacking and vanquishing 
an animal so very much larger and heavier than itself. Its smaller relative, 
the weasel, from its diminutive size, is compelled to restrict its attacks 
to comparatively small rabbits, and can more easily obtain mice and 
small birds, which form its staple food. Indeed, its extreme utility in 
destroying house mice in the rick yards and outhouses, and short tailed 
voles in the meadows, where they do an infinity of damage to the grass, 
should ensure its protection at all times, whatever may be said against 
its larger relative, the stoat. Badgers will dig down upon young rabbits 
at the end of a burrow and scratch them out, as may be seen by the marks 
of their claws on the surface, and bits of fluff that lie scattered about 
near the scene of operations. The fox will lie in wait for rabbits of any 
size, and usually captures them by stealth or stratagem. A mortal enemy 
to young rabbits is the common brown rat, which, during the summer 
months, quits the barns, stables, and outhouses, and lives out in the 
country, frequenting the coverts and hedge banks, especially those which 
have been perforated by rabbits. Here these marauders take up their abode, 
and do no end of mischief in taking the pheasants’ food, eggs, and pheasant 
chicks, in addition to the young rabbits. There is no greater pest to the 
game preserver than rats in the coverts, and many pounds sterling would 
be saved in the course of the year if only concerted measures were taken 
to ensure their destruction. For this reason we are not at all in favour of 
exterminating stoats; for although both rats and stoats kill rabbits, they 
are not only rivals in this respect, but deadly enemies. We have seen a 
stoat attack a rat much heavier than itself, and, after a severe struggle, 
kill it and drag it away out of sight. Stoats therefore do good by keeping 
down the rats, and thus saving the pheasants’ food. Other enemies of the 
rabbit are the buzzard and the brown or tawny owl, both of which birds 
are sorely persecuted by keepers with trap and gun, and seldom allowed 
to live long when once their presence has been made known. But here, 
again, we think a mistake is made, for while both these birds will take 
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