A Blood Drinker
While on the path leading to the kitchen garden, I saw a rabbit slithering and scamper- ing down the face of the cliff. As it reached the bottom and bounded into the weeds, a stoat came over the top, hunting by scent as far as I could tell, but he saw„,me, became alarmed and gave up the chase. How many kills this stoat makes in a week I do not know, but we find the bodies of many of his victims in varying, stages of decay when we visit the cottage at weekends. A ferret kept in captivity will gorge itself if given the chance and one might think that a stoat, with the whole day and, night in which to hunt, would either kill off all the rabbits, rats and mice, or become satiated. Neither hap- pens, for the stoat is extravagant when kills are plentiful and he behaves like a vampire, drinking the blood only and leaving the flesh to lesser creatures.
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