September, 1919] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



45 



Rockwood. Since, I have taken numbers of the 

 Lesser Weasel, but only, I think, two or three of 

 the large kind. The capture of the one mentioned 

 was purely accidental and happened in November. 

 The seasonal change to white is not always affected 

 by this time. Some specimens taken near Christmas 

 time when snow was on the ground still had a few 

 belated brown hairs over the back. Contrary to 

 this, individuals of spotless white are occasionally 

 taken when no snow exists. The moult from brown 

 to white or the reverse does not seem to depend on 

 any particular seasonal change or condition. 



I recall a story to'.d me years ago by a farmer 

 which portrays nicely the intrepid nature of this 



An interesting note by John F. Carleton, East 

 Sandwich, Mass., entitled "Bold Mother Weasel 

 Rescues Young" (January, 1919, Field and 

 Stream) illustrates again the venturesome spirit. He 

 says: "Some years since I was at work with my 

 man on the edge of a dry swamp, on high land, one- 

 eighth of a mile from Bay Shore, when I found a 

 weasel's nest with four half-grown young in a 

 brush heap. I regret that I cannot recall the com- 

 position of the nest. I sat down 'side-saddle,' took 

 up the four young and placed them in the outside 

 left breast-pocket of my coat, my man standing 

 near. Soon the mother appeared hunting for her 

 young. I placed one on my knee; the mother soon 

 scented it, jumped on my knee, grabbed the little 



TAILS OF WEASELS ( WLXTER FURj OXE-HALF NATURAL SIZE, 

 a Putoriu.s rixosus. c Putorius noveboracensis. 



b Putorius cicoqnaiiii. 



animal. While working in the fields he heard high 

 overhead the strident calls of a hawk. Their un- 

 usual quality attracted his attention as well as the 

 peculiarity of the actions accompanying them. 

 Watching, he noticed the bird pass through some 

 unusual gyrations, steady itself a moment and then 

 come pitching to the earth, tumbling and turning. 

 The man ran rapidly to the spot where the hawk 

 fell and was just in time to see a brown weasel leap 

 from the feathers and disappear in a near-by fence. 

 From some concealed position it had doubtless 

 leaped upon the feeding hawk and being lighter was 

 instantly borne high into the air. In bull-dog fashion 

 once having a grip it continued to work deeper and 

 deeper until a fatal spot was reached. 



d Putorius longicauda. 



one, and was off like a flash. I remained quiet and 

 she soon returned to my knee, worked slowly along 

 my leg and up my coat till she reached the pocket, 

 pullfd out another little one, and dashed away with 

 it. As I was not willing to give up the others, 

 I did not experiment further. I took them home, 

 but the folks objected so to the odor that I was 

 obliged to kill them. I have several times seen 

 weasels very bold, but nothing to equal this ex- 

 perience. 



Mr. E. T. Seton' cites an instance of an old 

 weasel (noveboracensis) accompanied by five young 

 ones about half-grown on June 28 near his home 

 in Connecticut. These were evidently older than 

 the other ones, which were still in the nest. On 



TSeton, E. T., Life Hist, of Northern Animals. 

 Vol. II, p. 848, 1909. 



