862 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



This proneness to spoil therefore gives us the first ray of 

 light we have on its mode of life. I have also known it to feed 

 on Mice, and doubtless it adds small birds to its list. 



E. Wilson tells me that, at Winnipeg, Arthur Hutchings 

 caught a Least Weasel in a mouse-trap about April 15, 1907. 

 It was no larger than a Field-mouse and pure white. The trap 

 had broken its leg. He nursed it till it was well, and then set it 

 free. It now lives about his woodshed and is remarkably tame. 



My Fort Reliance specimen had come on one of our mouse- 

 traps in which was a dead Mouse, had eaten the head, and then 

 dragged trap and Mouse some 20 feet, where itself was killed 

 by another mouse-trap. As its stomach was quite empty, I 

 think there may have been two Weasels there. 



The following incident, witnessed by my friend George L. 

 Fordyce, of Youngstown, Ohio, furnishes additional light on 

 the food habits of this pigmy: 



"While out in the field this morning (December 26) 

 walking along the bank of a ravine at the edge of our golf 

 course, I saw a Field-mouse run out of the bushes into the 

 rough grass that is just outside of the fair green of the course. 

 In another instant, what I thought at first to be a white Mouse 

 came out at the same place. The Mouse ran into a wheel 

 track and disappeared under the grass, coming out about 6 feet 

 from where it went in. The white animal followed through 

 the same course, and when it came out, I saw that it was a small 

 Weasel, very little larger than the Mouse, and that it was fol- 

 lowing the trail of the Mouse by scent. 



" For a time the Mouse ran in circles and zigzagged about, 

 often coming around within four or five feet of the Weasel, but 

 the latter seemed so intent on the trail that it did not notice 

 the Mouse to one side. After a time, the latter started toward 

 the open golf course, and when the Weasel reached the point 

 where the trail was straight, it sighted the prey, made a sudden 

 dash forward, and, although 25 feet behind, overtook the 

 Mouse while it was going three or four feet. 



"For a few seconds they seemed to fight, until the Weasel 

 got the Mouse by the throat, and started for the bushes, drag- 



