stoat

Bob knew, directly he saw a bird's egg, whether it was a swallow's, or a tomtit's, or a yellow-hammer's; he found out all the wasps' nests, and could set all sort of traps; he could climb the trees like a squirrel, and had quite a magical power of detecting hedgehogs and stoats; and he had courage to do things that were rather naughty, such as making gaps in the hedgerows, throwing stones after the sheep, and killing a cat that was wandering incognito .

Now it was a lithe, furtive stoat which shot across the path upon some fell errand of its own; then it was a wild cat which squatted upon the outlying branch of an oak and peeped at the traveller with a yellow and dubious eye.

Ah, naughty, naughty, would you take a nip at the gentleman?" This to a stoat which thrust its wicked head and red eyes between the bars of its cage.

Marty was quite sure he saw a yellow-hammer on the boughs of the great ash, and while he was peeping, he missed the sight of a white-throated stoat, which had run across the path and was described with much fervour by the junior Tommy.

A PS6m-plus scheme to eradicate alien stoats from Orkney has begun.

Once fully trained, the dogs will detect the presence of stoats through their keen sense of smell.

In another example Edinburgh based Stoats has revealed a fresh new look for the brand, including a revamp of its packaging, which is now 100 per cent recyclable or compostable.

Jaw-like traps had also been set to eradicate native stoats and weasels, with one containing the decomposing remains of a targeted wild animal, said conservation group Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire's Moors (BBYM).

The change in pelage undergone by mountain hares and stoats and the change in plumage of the ptarmigan were once thought to be triggered by lowering temperatures.

Animal rights campaigners have branded a cull of stoats on Orkney "inhumane".