64 CARNIVORES. 



observes : " It follows the mole and the field-mouse to their runs ; it threads the 



mazes formed in the wheat-rick by the colonies of mice which infest it, and its long 



flexible body, its extraordinary length of neck, the closeness of its fur, and its 



extreme agility and quickness of movement, combine to adapt it to such habits, in 



which it is also much aided by its power of hunting by scent." The weasel is 



likewise an expert climber, seizing hen-birds while sitting in their nests, and thus 



gaining both parent and offspring, or eggs, at a single stroke. Although probably 



more prone to wander by night than by day, it can scarcely be regarded as a 



nocturnal creature, and may, indeed, as in the instance above recorded, be 



frequently observed hunting by day. Professor Bell states that the weasel brings 



forth four or more frequently five young, and is said to have two or three litters 



in a year. The nest is composed of dry leaves and herbage, and is warm and dry, 



being usually placed in a hole in a bank, in a dry ditch, or in a hollow tree. As 



is well known, the female weasel will defend her helpless young with great 



fury and desperation, risking her own life freely rather than leave them. 



Occasionally, too, the male will join in endeavouring to protect or carry off the 



young from danger. 



The stoat or, as it is generally called when in winter dress, the 

 stoat. •/!<■•.'. • 



ermine (M. erminea), is closely allied to the weasel, from which it is 



chiefly distinguished by its superior size, and the black tip to the tail, which 



retains its colour when the rest of the fur turns white. On account of its superior 



size the stoat is frequently known as the greater weasel. 



In summer the colour of the fur of the upper-parts of the stoat is dull 



mahogany brown, while the under-parts are of a pale sulphur yellow, and are 



thus easily distinguished from the pure white of the weasel. The length of the 



head and body is usually from 9 to 10 inches, but it may occasionally fall as low 



as 8 inches, or reach to 11 ; the length of the tail, with the hair, varying from 



about 3 to 5 inches. 



The distribution of the stoat is nearly the same as that of the 

 Distribution. . 



weasel; the animal being widely spread over the northern regions of 



both hemispheres ; it is, however, not improbable that the stoat extends into 

 portions of the Western Himalaya, where its cousin is unknown. In all the more 

 northern parts of its habitat the stoat invariably assumes the well-known white 

 winter dress which constitutes the valuable ermine of commerce. In the British 

 Islands this change always takes place in the Highlands of Scotland ; while in the 

 northern English counties, like Northumberland and Durham, it is frequent but by 

 no means universal. Proceeding further south, the change of colour becomes more 

 and more rare, taking place only occasionally in counties like Cambridgeshire and 

 Lincolnshire, while in Cornwall and Hampshire it is almost unknown. In North 

 America the change takes place in the more northerly of the United States and all 

 the regions to the northward ; specimens captured during the winter in Massa- 

 chusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania being almost invariably white. Some of 

 those from Virginia turn partially white, while in South Carolina there is no 

 change at all. 



The nature of the change from the dark summer to the white 

 Change of Coat. .,•,., ..... 



winter dress in the stoat and other animals has given rise to much 



