THE STOAT. 365 
presented to him some rain-water in a dish, and endeavoured to make him go into it, but 
could not succeed. I then wetted a piece of linen cloth in it, and put it near him, and 
he rolled upon it with extreme delight. 
One singularity in this charming animal is his curiosity. It is impossible to open a 
drawer or a box, or even to look at a paper, but he will examine it also. If he get into 
any place where I am afraid of permitting him to stay, I take a paper or a book, and look 
attentively at it, on which he immediately runs upon my hand, and surveys with an 
inquisitive air whatever I happen to hold. I must further observe, that he plays with a 
young cat and dog, both of considerable size, getting about their necks, backs, and paws, 
without their doing him the slightest injury.’ 
This amusing little creature was fed chiefly with small pieces of fresh meat, which it 
preferred to receive from the hand of its mistress. 
This is not a solitary instance of a Weasel being effectually tamed, for M. Giely has 
recorded his success in taming a Weasel, which he had trained so perfectly that it would 
follow him wherever he went. Indeed, it seems but reasonable to suppose, that as the 
ferret has been rendered subservient to man, and has been domesticated to a considerable 
extent, the Weasel might be equally susceptible of the same influence, and be employed 
for the same pvrposes. 
Indeed, it is very unlikely that a totally untameable animal should exist, for, as far as 
has yet been known, the very creatures w hich gave the most unpromising indications of 
ferocity or obstinacy have been the most remarkable for their docility under the treatment 
of certain individuals. We should not be overpassing the bounds of credibility were we 
to assert, that no creature in which is the breath of life is capable of withstanding the 
potent influence which is given to mankind for that very purpose, always provided that: it 
be used with gentleness, firmness, and much patient love. 
The number of young which the Weasel generally produces at each birth is four or 
five, and there are said to be usually two or even three litters in each year. The nest is 
generally placed in the warm cover which is afforded by a hollow tree, in the crevices 
that exist in rocky ground, or in burrows which are made in dry sandy soil. The nest is 
composed of dry moss and leaves. 
The fur of the Weasel is sometimes powerfully influenced by the effects of the severe 
cold, and has been known to become nearly white during a sharp and protracted frost. 
It is worthy of notice that, in such cases, the tip of the tail does not partake of the 
general change of tint, but retains its bright red hue, precisely as the tail of the ermine 
retains its jetty blackness while the remainder of the fur is either white or cream-coloured. 
Mr, Bell remarks that he has seen a Weasel which had retained its wintry whiteness in 
two spots on each side of the nose, although the remainder of the fur had returned to its 
usual reddish hue during the summer months. This specimen was captured in the 
extreme north of Scotland. While clad in the white garments of winter, in which state 
it is frequently found in Siberia and Northern Europe, it is the animal which was called 
Mustela nivalis, or snowy Weasel, by Linneus. Even in England it is rather variable in 
tint, independently of the influence of climate ; some individuals being less brightly tinged 
with red than others, while occasional specimens are found in which the fur is of an 
exceedingly dark brown. 
To persons who have had but little experience in the habits of wild animals, it is 
generally a matter of some surprise that the celebrated Ermine fur, which is in such general 
favour, should be produced by one of those very animals which we are popularly accustomed 
to rank among “vermin,” and to exterminate in every possible way. Yet so it is. The 
highly-prized ERMINE and the much-detested StoarT are, in fact, one and the same animal, 
the difference in the colour of their coats being solely caused by the larger or smaller 
proportion of heat to which they have been subjected. 
In the summer time, the fur of the Stoat—by which name the animal will be 
designated, whether it be wearing its winter or summer dress,—is not unlike that of the 
weasel, although the dark parts of the fur are not so ruddy, nor the light portions of so 
pure a white, as in that animal. The toes and the edges of the ears are also white. 
