128 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTELID.E. 



England generally the Ermine is less common tban the Wea- 

 sel; but in Scotland, even to the south of the Frith of Forth, it 

 is certainly of more frequent occurrence than that species; and 

 for one Weasel I have seen at least five or six Ermines. It 

 frequents stony places and thickets, among which it finds a 

 secure retreat, as its agility enables it to outstrip even a dog 

 in a short race, and the slimness of its body allows it to enter 

 a very small aperture. Patches of furze, in particular, afford 

 it perfect securitj', and it sometimes takes possession of a 

 rabbit's burrow. It preys on game and other birds, from the 

 grouse and ptarmigan downwards, sometimes attacks poultry 

 or sucks their eggs, and is a determined enemy to rats and 

 moles. Young rabbits and hares frequently become victims to 

 its rapacity, and even full-grown individuals are sometimes 

 destroyed by it. Although in general it does not appear to 

 hunt by scent, yet it has been seen to trace its prey like a dog, 

 following its track with certainty. Its motions are elegant, 

 and its appearance extremely animated. It moves by leaping 

 or bounding, and is capable of running with great speed, 

 although it seldom trusts itself beyond the immediate vicinity 

 of cover. Under the excitement of pursuit, however, its cour- 

 age is surprising, for it will attack, seize by the throat and 

 cling to a grouse, hare or other animal, strong enough to carry 

 it off; and it does not hesitate on occasion to betake itself to 

 the water. Sometimes, when met with in a thicket or stony 

 place, it will stand and gaze upon the intruder, as if conscious 

 of security; and, although its boldness has been exaggerated 

 in the popular stories which have made their way into books 

 of natural history, it cannot be denied that, in proportion to 

 its size, it is at least as courageous as the tiger or the lion." 



With a mind preoccupied in contemplation of the exploits of 

 the chase of great Carnivora — those grand exhibitions of pred- 

 atory instincts on the part of some of the strongest beasts, 

 one is apt to overlook, or at least to underestimate, the compara- 

 tive prowess of some lesser animals. Doubtless, the entomolo- 

 gist would give instances of equal courage and perseverance 

 in pursuit of prey, of vastly greater comparative strength and 

 skill in its capture, and superior destructiveuess. Probably 

 the great mass of insect-eating animals — an immense and 

 varied host— are in no whit behind in this respect. And in 

 noting the instincts and predacious habits of the Weasels and 

 Stoats, we observe that, to grant them only equal courage and 



