THE WEASEL. 289 



imaginable. With his two little paws he pats me on the chin, with an air and manner expres- 

 sive of delight. This, and a thousand other preferences, show that his attachment to me is 

 real. When he sees me dressed for going out, he will not leave me, and it is not without some 

 trouble that I can disengage myself from him ; he then hides himself behind a cabinet near the 

 door, and jumps upon me as I puss, with so much celerity that I often can scarcely perceive him. 



"He seems to resemble a squirrel in vivacity, agility, voice, and his manner of murmuring. 

 During the summer he squeaks and runs about the house all the night long ; but since the 

 commencement of the cold weather I have not observed this. Sometimes, when the sun shines 

 while he is playing on the bed, he turns and tumbles about and murmurs for a while. 



" From his delight in drinking milk out of my hand, into which I pour a very little at a 

 time, and his custom of sipping the little drops and edges of the fluid, it seems probable that 

 he drinks dew in the same manner. He seldom drinks water, and then only for want of milk, 

 and with great caution, seeming only to refresh his tongue once or twice, and even to be afraid 

 of that fluid. During the hot weather it rained a good deal ; I presented to him some rain- 

 water in a dish, and endeavored to make him go into it, but could not succeed. I then wetted 

 a piece of linen cloth in it, and put it near him, and he rolled upon it with extreme delight. 



"One singularity in this charming animal is his curiosity. It is impossible to open a 

 drawer or a box, or even to look at a paper, but he will examine it also. If he get into any 

 place where I am afraid of permitting him to stay, I take a paper or a book, and look atten- 

 tively at it, on which he immediately runs upon my hand, and surveys with an inquisitive air 

 whatever I happen to hold. I must further observe, that he plays with a young cat and dog, 

 both of considerable size, getting about their necks, backs, and paws, without their doing him 

 the slightest injury." 



This amusing little creature was fed chiefly with small pieces of fresh meat, which it pre- 

 ferred to receive from the hand of its mistress. 



This is not a solitary instance of a Weasel being effectually tamed, for M. Giely has 

 recorded his success in taming a Weasel, which he had trained so perfectly that it would follow 

 him wherever he went. Indeed, it seems but reasonable to suppose, that as the ferret has been 

 rendered subservient to man, and has been domesticated to a considerable extent, the Weasel 

 might be equally susceptible of the same influence, and be employed for the same purposes. 



Indeed, it is very unlikely that a totally untamable animal should exist, for, as far as 

 has yet been known, the very creatures which gave the most unpromising indications of 

 ferocity or obstinacy have been the most remarkable for their docility under the treatment 

 of certain individuals. We should not be overpassing the bounds of credibility were we to 

 assert, that no creature in which is the breath of life is capable of withstanding the potent 

 influence which is given to mankind for that very purpose, always provided that it be used 

 with gentleness, firmness, and much patient love. 



The number of young which the Weasel generally produces at each birth is four or five, 

 and there are said to be usually two or even three litters in each year. The nest is generally 

 placed in the warm cover which is afforded by a hollow tree, in the crevices that exist in rocky 

 ground, or in burrows which are made in dry sandy soil. The nest is composed of dry moss 

 and leaves. 



The fur of the Weasel is sometimes powerfully influenced by the effects of the severe cold, 

 and has been known to become nearly white during a sharp and protracted frost. It is worthy 

 of notice that, in such cases, the tip of the tail does not partake of the general change of 

 tint, but retains its bright red hue, precisely as the tail of the ermine retains its jetty 

 blackness while the remainder of the fur is either white or cream-colored. Mr. Bell remarks 

 that he has seen a Weasel which had retained its wintry whiteness in two spots on each side 

 of the nose, although the remainder of the fur had returned to its usual reddish hue during the 

 summer months. This specimen was captured in the extreme .north of Scotland. While clad 

 in the white garments of winter, in which state it is frequently found in Siberia, it is the 

 animal which was called Mustela nivalis, or snowy Weasel, by Linnaeus. It is rather variable 

 in tint, independently of the influence of climate ; some individuals being less brightly tinged 



