HISTORY AXD HABITS OF THE ERMINE. 125 



other languages, as in the French Miermine', the Italian ' ar- 

 •mellino', the Spanish 'armino', Portuguese 'arrainho', Dutch 

 *hermel3^n', German, Danish, and Swedish ' hermelin ', and 

 Armoric 'ermiuicq'.* Barbarous nations of the northern por- 

 tions of the globe would appear to have each their own name 

 for an animal well known to them as an object of the chase 

 and of profit; names of very various signification, according 

 to the different points which attracted their attention. Thus, 

 Pallas enumerates nearly fifty names, most of which have no 

 evident connection with each other. The technical appellation 

 of the animal is derived from ijutor^ a bad smell. Fcetorius, 

 proposed as a substitute for PiUorius by Keyserling and 

 Blasius, has the same signification. The name is highly appro- 

 priate ; for the stench emitted by the animals, of both sexes, 

 is horribly offensive at times, as when under the influence of 

 fear, anger, or the sexual passion ; it is only less penetrating 

 and more fugitive than that of the Skunk itself. It may be 

 emitted at pleasure, as in case of the Skunk, and is scarcely 

 perceptible, except at certain perfods, when the animal is at 

 rest. The source of the odor is a peculiar fluid contained in 

 special glands situated about the anus, opening upon two con- 

 ical papillae, one on eacli side of the anus, just within the 

 verge of the opening. On slightly everting the anus, these 

 papillie may be readily perceived ; slight pressure will cause 

 them to stand erect, while at the same time the fluid may be 

 caused to spirt several inches in a fine spray, or even trickle 

 in a stream about the parts. t 



The female Ermine is provided with these glands, the same 

 as the male. She is much smaller than the opposite sex ; but, 

 this and her sexual characteristics aside, she is quite identical. 

 She makes her home in an underground burrow, beneath the 

 stump of a tree, under a pile of rocks, in a decaying log, or 

 the hollow of a tree trunk, and brings forth a large litter. 

 The number at a birth is, however, very variable ; four or five 

 may be an average number. They have been found newly 

 born from March to June, according to latitude, but are ordi- 

 narily produced in April or May. In northern latitudes, the 

 litter may be born while the female is still in her white pelage, 

 as in the case mentioned by Pallas ; he found two young of a 

 white mother, early in May, in the hollow of a tree. The 



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*Comi5are especially you Martens, antea, p. 2d. 

 t Compare aniea, p. 12. 



