136 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The length of its body is about eight inches, with short legs, long neck, 

 large, open ears, small eyes set in the head nearer the nose than the ears. 

 Color, in the summer, brown above and white under the limbs, while in the 

 winter it is white over every part of the body and limbs, with the exception 

 of tfie end of the tail, which is always black for about an inch. The length 

 of the tail will always reach exactly to the foot of the hind leg if both are 

 drawn out straight. 



Its home or common retreat is in piles of loose stone, wood, or other material, 

 or in hollow trees, where it brings forth its young of two or sometimes even 

 three litters in a year, of from four to five at a time, commonly the latter 

 number, and which it will defend with indomitable courage. Tiicy are re- 

 markable for their perseverence and courage, and have been known to attack 

 men when in companies of three or four. 



Their food is commonly mice, but they will devour most all kinds of birds 

 and eggs, or at least the brains and blood of birds, which they like better than 

 the fleshy part. 



The color of the weasel when changing from brown to white, or vice versa, 

 is very prettily variegated. Their voice, or noise, is quite peculiar, and sounds 

 like a serpent — a sharp, shrill, compressed sound, quickly repeated two or 

 three times. 



AYe find the weasel everywhere, in the woods as plenty, and perhacs more 

 80, than in the farm yard and house. They are uncommon mousers, being 

 much more expert than the house cat, and so much smaller in body that they 

 can follow their prey in many places where the cat cannot enter. It can run 

 up a smooth perpendicular board with facility. 



The enemies of the weasel are chiefly the owl and hawk, and they are often 

 obliged to come down after seizing and rising into the air with it, by his 

 opening a vein under the wing. 



A larger species of Mustelidae, which is often confounded with the weasel, 

 and is called in history the "Stoat," Mustela erminea, is very plenty on high 

 mountains in the forests in this State. I have often caught them while sable 

 hunting. I caught one the past winter. They are full twice the length and 

 bigness of the weasel, and subject to the same change of color; and when in 

 the white state are called " Ermine," and much used in foreign countries for 

 lining and trimming fur garments. Of their habits but little is known, except 

 that they prey on larger game than the weasel — such as the hare, partridge, &c. 



The Canada Lynx, Lynx Canadensis, Raf. 



This animal is the largest of the wild cat species in this State. Arranged 

 in the group by naturalists called " Feline " (Felidae,) and in the order "Gar- 

 ni vora." 



There are about eight kinds of lynx described by naturalists, but they are 

 so confused that their histories are of little account. They describe the " Can- 

 ada Lynx" for the Boreal Lynx and the Caracal, and so mix them up that it 

 is about impossible to distinguish them by existing descriptions. 



The Lynx is one of those animals of which the ancients told so many fables. 

 That they could see through opaque bodies, and even through stone walls, 

 and that their urine often contained a valuable stone called " lapis lincurius," 

 80 the old maxim " Lynx eyed," &c. — be this as it may, our Lynx has a very 

 sharp, large, round eye, and is capable of staring at you for a great length of 

 time. Such is however the natural ferocity of this animal that it is believed 

 to be impossible to perfectly subdue it. 



This Lynx is about three feet in the length of its body and stands about 

 twenty-one inches high ; it has a round head like our domestic cat, but much 

 larger. Its fur is long and soft, and changes its color twice in the year. In 

 the hot months of summer it is dingy reddish grey and when prime, in the 

 coldest part of the season, it is a beautiful stone grey along its sides and mix- 

 ed along its back with long hairs tipped with black, while underneath it is 



