to avoid falling on its back, by standing erect on its hind legs. It did this
several times, but as far as I could make out it was always the same one. At
last one of the two ruddier fellows ran up a tree, and left his comrades alone for
a while, and then the most curious part of the affair began. The two Stoats
regularly set themselves to enjoy a game of “ Tom Tiddler’s Ground ” with m e:
it was the most barefaced piece of impudence that I have ever experienced from
a pair of wild animals yet, although the hedgehogs up in the woods have often
come thrusting their snouts under my feet to see if there were beetles there: they
took me for an old tree, so might be excused. But these Stoats knew perfectly
well that I was not a tree. Their game consisted in trying how near they dared
to approach me t he y would come side by side with a graceful and joyous trot
straight towards me, like lambs or fawns coming to be petted; then suddenly
both would turn tail and, whistling “ curoo, curoo,” rush off at full speed, almost
tumbling in their desperate haste, fully persuaded I was after them; then discovering
that I had stood stock still, they again came bounding along with the
same agile grace and sociable expression, and when within a very few feet of the
mysterious object fled again with the same expressions of wild alarm. Anything
in the animal world so like the play of human children I could not have
conceived. At last the redder of the two became satisfied that he had shown
enough valour (for I ought to have told you that on each adventure they came
a little closer than the time before); so he took his post on a stone, and
contented himself with watching his comrade. She came on as before, but,
without the least appearance of any disposition to turn back, came springing
towards me till within about six inches. I verily believe she would have run
up my legs this time, but the one sitting behind began “ curoo curooing” as
shrilly and vehemently as possible, and at that call she turned and galloped
back to him. She returned, however, this time running round me, and quietly
took a seat behind me some .six inches from my feet. Pretty as her movements
were, I was not quite easy at this situation, for I know the Stoat’s agility in
running up the trunks of trees very well. However, she was soon trotting
round me again. I had my stick in my hand, the end resting on the ground,
and the little animal, coming up to this, reared on her hind legs, put both her
fore paws on the stick, and began licking it very contentedly I Anyone coming
up at that moment would have taken the creature for a very well-tamed pet,
instead of a wild Stoat running about “ on her own hook.” She continued
in this position for a little while, and then returned with a self-satisfied air to
her comrade, who showed great delight at her safe return. The third Stoat soon
after returned, and the games were continued for some time longer (until a cart
appeared); but none of the three showed the smallest interest in their human
spectator from the time he had been proved innocuous by the liberties taken
with his stick; there were races, and somersaults, and romps, but no more Tom
Tiddler’s Ground; I suppose there was no fun without the element of danger.’
George Taylor, the headkeeper at Warnham, tells me that he has seen a Stoat
roll head over heels from the top to the bottom of a grassy bank, at the bottom
of which were some young blackbirds, and springing up suddenly catch one of
them. This sounds almost too clever, but I have confidence in the observation
of the man who made the statement.1 Mr. Moffat, in the article previously referred
to,2 gives an interesting account of the boldness of a Stoa t:
‘ On June 28th, hearing a rustling in a furze bush by a roadside, I struck
the bush with my stick, when a large rat ran out. On the spur of the moment
I struck at it, and rather unexpectedly killed i t ; and somewhat regretting that I
had not let it alone, I laid it on the other side of the road and walked on a few
paces, when a Stoat came and began carrying off the rat. On my looking back
the Stoat disappeared, but shortly returned, and began carrying the rat away in
the opposite direction. As I continued to approach it again ran off, but kept
returning at intervals, and by circuitous paths to prevent my seeing its approach
^-ridiculously fruitless efforts, however, as a pair of stonechats had discovered
it and followed it everywhere, keeping alongside of it with a courage that made
it plain the little animal was much too intent on his rat to pay any attention
to the birds, which he could easily have got. At length it seemed to become
quite indifferent to my presence also, and a peculiar procession might have been
seen walking abreast along the road: on the right the Stoat, carrying the ra t,
on the left myself; and in the centre, hopping along, regardless of the two-
edged danger, the hen stonechat. The cock-bird was keeping up with us too,
but using his wings and the tops of the furze bushes in preference to the path.
The Stoat looked a beautiful object, with his long neck perfectly erect and the
rat almost lifted off the ground in his mouth. This continued for some distance
till the stonechats left us. Finally the Stoat made a sudden rush up the
hedge bank, his burden of course still in his mouth, and being, I suppose, a
1 Since the above was written I have further corroborative evidence that Stoats will roll down a bank. Mr. Charles
Tracey, ferreting rabbits at Holtye, Kent, in December 1904, saw three Stoats bolt from a hole. One of them he shot and
the other two at once curled themselves up in a ball and rolled down a sandy bank for a distance of twenty feet.
a Zoologist, 1890, p. 380. For another account of similar behaviour see Field, vol. xcviii. p. 83.