WEASEL FAMILY 



121 



from becoming his persecutor. Yet with all 

 these external attractions, this little Weasel is 

 fierce and bloodthirsty, possessing an intuitive 

 propensity to destroy every animal and bird 

 within its reach, some of which, such as the 

 American rabbit, the rulTed grouse and domestic 

 fowl, are ten times its own size. It is a notori- 

 ous and hated depredator of the poultry house, 

 and we have known forty well grown fowls to 

 have been killed in one night by a single Er- 

 mine. We have traced the footsteps of this 

 . bloodsucking little animal on the snow, pursuing 

 the trail of a fleeing rabbit, and although it 

 could not overtake its prey by superior speed, 

 yet the timid Hare soon took refuge in the 

 hollow of a tree, or in a hole dug by the Marmot 

 or Skunk. Thither it was pursued by the Er- 

 mine and destroyed, the skin and other remains 

 at the mouth of the burrow bearing evidence of 

 the fact." 



and spring ; the dark summer coat being gradu- 

 ally replaced by the advent of the white hairs 

 of the winter one. Doubts then arose whether 

 the change in color was always coincident with 

 the development of the winter and summer coat, 

 and whether the hairs themselves might not 

 actually change color. Dr. Coues succeeded, 

 however, in proving that the change might take 

 place in either way, some specimens taken in 

 spring showing the long, woolly white winter 

 coat on some parts of the body, while on other 

 parts they had the short, coarse, brown hair of 

 summer ; and he observes that " we may safely 

 conclude that if the requisite temperature be ex- 

 perienced, at the periods of renewal of the coat, 

 the new hairs will come out of the opposite 

 color ; if not, they will appear of the same color, 

 and afterwards change: that is, the change may 

 or may not be coincident with the shedding." 

 Dr. Coues attributed the reason of the color- 



TWO VIEWS OF THE ERMINE 

 Showing the summer and winter coats of an animal whose fur is greatly desired 



The Weasel can be employed, in the manner 

 of a Ferret, in driving Rabbits from burrows. 

 In one instance the Ermine employed had been 

 captured only a few days before, and its canine 

 teeth were filed, in order to prevent it destroying 

 the Rabbit. A cord was placed around its neck 

 to secure its return. It pursued the Hare through 

 all the windings of its burrow, and forced it 

 to the mouth, where it could be taken in a net, 

 or by the hand. 



The color of the fur in summer is of a red- 

 dish-brown above and sulphur-white below. In 

 the northern latitudes the color change is very 

 ^marked. In the late autumn the coat is shed very 

 rapidly and replaced by a much longer and den- 

 ser white ^..e for winter, except the tip of the 

 tail, which is black. 



The nature of the change from the dark sum- 

 mer to the white winter dress has given rise to 

 much discussion. It was originally considered 

 that the animal sheds its coat in the autumn 



change entirely to the effect of temperature ; but 

 strong objection is taken to this view by Dr. 

 Merriam, who observes that it occurs in captive 

 specimens kept continually in warm rooms. Dr. 

 Merriam, however, states that the winter change 

 never takes place till after the first fall of snow, 

 . which generally occurs towards the end of Oc- 

 tober or the beginning of November. Although 

 the temperature of the air may be much lower 

 before than subsequent to this first snowfall, yet 

 it is true " that Ermine caught up to the very 

 day of the first appearance of snow bear no evi- 

 dence of the impending change. Within forty- 

 eight hours, however, after the occurrence of the 

 snowstorm the coat of the Ermine has already 

 commenced to assume a pied and mottled appear- 

 ance, and the change now commenced progresses 

 to its termination with great rapidity. In early 

 spring, the period for the reversal of this pro- 

 cess, the changing back from its white coats of 

 winter to the brown summer coat is determined 



