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Creatures of the Night

INDEX.

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Animals, wild, awakening from hibernation, 146

——, ——, dislike rain, 428

——, ——, feet made tender by hibernation, 154

——, ——, habit of sociable, 160

——, ——, keeping to old haunts, 298

——, ——, selfishness of, 318

Ant, habits of queen, 156

——, habits of yellow, 65, 66

Autumn, bird-migration in, 12

Badger, and fox-hounds, 349

——, and stoat, 323

——, attempt to unearth, 367-373

——, fondness of, for honey, 335, 336, 345

——, food of, 305, 310-313, 324, 335

——, mocked by birds when abroad in daylight, 309

——, persecuted for supposed sheep-killing, 353-355

——, regular habits in returning to “set” at dawn, 350

——, sociability of, 332, 333

——, winter habits of, 340, 341

Badger-cub, and wasps, 337

——, caught in trap, 326, 327

Badger-cubs, at play, 301, 302, 346

——, closely confined by parents, 303

Badger-cubs, dying from distemper, 338

——, less nervous than fox-cubs, 321

Badgers, at play, 359

——, carrying bedding to “set,” 361

——, reconnoitring before young leave “set,” 415

——, sulking at home if suspicious of danger, 422

——, two families inhabiting same “set,” 359

Bank-voles, and kestrel, 147

——, colony of, 147

Basset-hounds, described, 278

——, hunting with, 280-282

Bell, use of, hung round ram's neck, 18

Blood, significance of fresh-spilt, 75

Bob, the black-and-tan terrier, 55-62

Character, differences of, in animals of one species, 64

——, human, developed by independence of action, 23

Collie, sheep-killing, 354-356

Dabchick, oar-like wings of, 12

Ducks, wild, at play, 31

——, ——, wedge-shaped flight of, 32

“Earth,” fox's artificial, 194

Fear, how it affects wild creatures, 401

Field-vole, and carrion crow, 165

——, and fox, 164

——, and kestrel, 148, 149

——, and owl, 144, 145, 157, 167, 175

——, and weasel, 137, 140

——, avoiding rabbit's “creeps,” 160

——, enemies of, 164

——, food of, 137, 142, 143, 154, 155

——, hibernation of, 145, 146, 150

——, home of, 149

——, limbs of, cramped by winter sleep, 153

——, restlessness of, in spring, 157

Field-voles, described, 162

——, harvesting seeds, 141, 142

——, plague of, 173, 174

——, stung to death by adder, 172

Fox, see also Vixen

——, and hedgehog, 382-384

——, and moorhen, 400

——, and wasp, 229

——, avoiding traps, 236

——, burying rat, 184

——, careful not to sleep on straight trail, 237

——, careful not to tread on rustling leaves, 220

——, entering “breeding-earth” when close pressed, 191

——, finding hen's nest in hedgerow, 182

——, fight with rival, 227

——, hating jays and magpies, 234

——, knowledge of the countryside, 238, 428

——, luring rabbits, 403

——, methods of hunting rabbits, 180

——, robbed of spoil by vixen, 183

——, seeks mate, 225

——, taught by mate, 227

Fox-cub, chased by lurcher, 222

——, cleanly habits of, 212

——, described, 203

——, food of, 218, 235

——, killing hare, 219

——, killing polecat, 215, 216

——, stealing chickens, 24

Fox-cubs and partridges, 211

——, at play, 412, 422-426

——, eagerness of, for flesh, 209

Foxes, method of preparing “breeding earth,” 232

Fox-hound, “rioting” on cold scent, 189

Fox-hunt, 186-193

Frogs, devoured by otters, 35

Geese, wild, 31

Gipsy, seeking hedgehogs, 387-389

Hare, and renegade cat, 288

——, and peregrine falcon, 265, 266

——, and poacher, 276, 285, 286

——, bravely defends young, 265

——, covered with fur at birth, 245

——, dislikes entering damp undergrowth, 274

——, does not wander far in wet weather, 258

——, food of, 248, 249, 251, 260

——, “form” described, 245

——, killed by lightning, 291

——, “leaping places” of, 434

——, method of fighting among males, 264

——, netted by keeper, 255

——, productiveness of, probably influenced by food supply, 276

——, recklessness of, in early spring, 263

——, running through flock of sheep, 283

——, suffers from want of exercise, 259

——, suffers less from frost than from rain, 260

——, swims across river, 273

——, winter habits of, 287

——, withholds scent when hard pressed, 283

Hedgehog, and fox, 382-384

——, and moorhens, 400, 401, 403-405

——, and owl, 385

——, and terrier, 388

——, food of, 394, 395, 398, 399

——, haunt of, 377

——, killing snake, 396, 397

——, nest of, 379, 389

History, vicissitudes of, affecting wild animals, 329

Hounds, miscellaneous pack, 54, 83

Hunt, rival, 60

——, village, 77, 78, 83

Huntsman, feeding fox-cubs, 209

Ianto, the fisherman, 28, 30, 83, 429-442

Joker, the bob-tailed sheep-dog, 54, 55, 58-60

Kestrel, attacking field-voles, 148

——, preying on bank-voles, 147

Man, dreaded by wild animals, 13, 40

——, senses dulled by immunity from fear, 72

Mange, attacking carnivorous animals, 212

March, great changes to wild life in, 263

Minnows, playing about ledges of rock, 103

Moorhen, eluding terrier, 61

——, killed by otter, 32

Mouse, singing, 82

Nature, haunted by Fear, 75

——, spirit of restlessness in, 156

Night, described, 3, 85, 86

——, spiritual influence of, 85

—— -watching, difficulties of, 427

—— - ——, methods of, 410

Otter, and big trout, 106

——, and dabchick, 12

——, and “red” fish, 101

——, and water-vole, 86-89, 101

——, fighting terrier, 42

——, food of, 15, 35, 47, 48

——, hunting methods of, 20

——, inhabiting drain-pipe, 9

——, in winter, 15, 47

——, migrating to sea, 46

——, playing in heavy stream, 33, 34

——, position of, when sleeping, 33

——, related to weasel, 22

—— -cub, capturing salmon, 22

——, described, 21

——, learns to swim, 9

—— -cubs, at play, 11

—— -hounds, 36

—— -hunt, 37-39, 41-44, 84

Owl, brown, described, 385, 386

——, and fox-cub, 205, 214

——, and water-vole, 88, 89

——, attacks hedgehog, 385, 386

——, preying on field-voles, 157

Owls, as friends of farmer, 169

Owls, inhabiting farm buildings, 7

Philip, the poacher, 429-443

Polecats, enemies of young hedgehogs, 384

Rabbit, burrowing in badgers' “set,” 314, 315

Rabbits, clearing tracks, 418

Rat, brown, attacked by water-voles, 123

——, ——, habits of, 64, 110

—— -hunting, by riverside, 58-60

Rats, migration of, 110

“Redd” of salmon, 99

Salmon, migration of, 95, 96

—— -fishing, experiences in, 26-30

—— -pool, seldom visited, 25

—— -spawn, destroyers of, 99

—— - ——, guarded by salmon, 98, 100, 101

Sheep-dog, and otter, 17

Sorrel, as medicinal herb for wild animals, 335

Sport, winter, 54

Squirrel, harvesting only ripe seeds and nuts, 105

——, inquisitive, 92

Stoats, following rats in migration, 110

Stone-fly, 20

Teal, 31

Terrier, worsted by otter, 44

Thrush, autumn song of, 24

——, defending young against hedgehog, 405

Trick, poacher's, to capture hare, 276

Trout, an old, carnivorous, 95

——, habit of, in spring, 19

Viper, attacked by hedgehog, 397

——, enemy of young hedgehogs, 398

Vixen, dispossessing another of “breeding earth,” 201

——, life spared by hounds, 219

——, routing terrier from “breeding earth,” 191

Vixen-cubs, quicker to learn than fox-cubs, 210

Voles, see Bank-voles, Field-voles, Water-voles

Water-shrew, described, 93

——, food of, 93, 94, 106, 107

——, habits of, 93, 94

Water-vole, and otter, 86-89

——, and owl, 89, 118

——, and trout, 94, 125

——, as singer, 79-82, 89

——, constructing nest, 121, 122

——, described, 121

——, enemies of, 79

——, food of, 71, 105, 106

——, habits studied, 80

——, home of, 68, 69, 103, 109, 110, 119, 126

——, love episodes of, 117-120

——, methods of fighting, 119, 123

——, winter storehouse of, 105, 109, 126

Water-voles, attacking brown rat, 123

Weasel, ferocity of, 76

——, food for fox-cub, 213

Weasels, following rats in migration, 110

PRINTED AT THE EDINBURGH PRESS, 9 AND 11 YOUNG STREET

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