high, however, a Stoat dropped to the ground and escaped tft the hedgerow,
seemingly none the worse for its fall.’
Hunted Stoats will burrow an the snow and into the ground for safety, and
will do so simply to find rat-runs. They constantly climb trees, for the purpose
of hunting squirrels, catching young birds, or stealing eggs, and for safety when
pursued. Crossing Warnham Park one summer’s day in 1899 I intercepted a
Stoat which at ofic^took to a high thorn tree, where I shot it with my small
catapult. About three weeks later I chased; a weasel in similar fashion into the
next thorn tree to the one in which I had killed, the Stoat,, and ?Iow it in similar
fashion amongst the branches., The weasel seemed to be more active than its||j
larger cousin.
A remarkable instance o f the Stoat's cleveme^ and climbing powers took
place at Mr. Meade-Waldffl place near Lyndhurst, in Hampshire, in the spring
of 1904. A male; ;Stoat , .climbed a ^ - fo o t wall, partially, covered with ivy,
slid down a glasshouse, and endeavoured to enter a large cage containing some
rare Algerian desert, jsauirrels. This at first he found impossible, as the only
entrance was down the narrow zinc rain pipe, and the top of this was covered
with a fine-mesh wire netting for preventing leaves &c. from entering and
blocking the pipe. However, after considering the matter, the clever Stoat
managed to force this upwards. He then glided down the pipe and. entered the
cage, where he quickly killed ètéry occupant. A natural assumpti|| would be
that the.Sclevcr beast was now trapped, and that retreat was impossible by
the Same route by which, he had enteral. But this was not thei,,easj t the
Stoat actually' .dimbed up inside thwdslippery pipe and made good his escapSH
for one day at least. On the following morning Mr. Waldo trapped his,
unwelcome visitor in the cage itself, the murderer having returned to seek
fresh victims.
In the final onslaught of Stoats and weasels, hares and rabbits, are paralysed
with terror, close their eyes, and seem incapable of movement. I have seen
both a rabbit and a hare thus pursued, anHfeeling that escape was hopeless,
suddenly cease running, sit down, roll about, and scream in the most heartrending
fashion. I once witnessed an interesting chase of two snow-white, .Stoats after a
brown hare on the shores of the Moray Firth, and saw the whole tragedy, till the
two hunters had claimed their victim. Stepping ashore from my wildfowling
punt, I added the party to my collection, g t was hardly fair to1 the poor hare, but
H was young then.
VOL. II. ®