THE MARTENS, POLECATS, AND WEASELS 653 



another, would have been amusing had it not been for the reflection, that their frisky 

 tricks would assuredly end in death." In another passage the same author graphic- 

 ally describes the chase of an unfortunate rabbit by a weasel the timid fear and 

 almost complete paralysis of the pursued through sheer terror, and the bold confi- 

 dence of the bloodthirsty pursuer. 



In all cases the weasel is a bold and inquisitive animal, exhibiting but little fear 

 of man, and poking out its nose from some hole or cranny to survey his proceed- 

 ings with the greatest indifference and self-possession. In spite, however, of this 

 curiosity, the weasel is ever on the alert to withdraw its head at the slightest 

 symptom of attack. When on the ground, weasels generally proceed in a series of 

 small leaps, stopping at intervals to take a careful survey of their surroundings, and 

 not unfrequently raising themselves on their haunches in order to obtain a better 

 view. From its elongated, almost snake-like body the weasel can follow most of 

 the small Mammals on which it preys to their holes or hiding places. As Bell ob- 

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

 mazes formed in the wheat 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 ex- 

 treme 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 like- 

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

 ing 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, risk- 

 ing her own life freely rather than leave them. Occasionally, too, the male will 

 join in endeavoring to protect or carry off the young from danger. 

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



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 color 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 color 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 dis- 

 tinguished from the pure white of the weasel. The length of the head and body is 

 usually from nine to ten inches, but it may occasionally fall as low as eight inches, 

 or reach to eleven; the length of the tail, with the hair, varying from about three 

 to five inches. 

 Distribution ^ e distribution of the stoat is nearly the same as that of the weasel; 



the animal being widely spread over the northern regions of both Hemi- 

 spheres; it is, however, not improbable that the stoat extends into portions of the 

 Western Himalayas, where its cousin is unknown. In all the more northern parts 



