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of Durham, states that within the last nine yean from the date of hi* 

 communication he had met with two Ermines alive, and in the most 

 different winten that had occurred for a great many yean. One was 

 observed in the extremely severe winter (January to March) of 1823 ; 

 the other in the extremely mild January of 1832. 



"In consequence of the months of December, 1831, and January, 

 1832, having been so extremely mild, I was," says Mr. Hogg, " greatly 

 surprised to find this stoat clothed in hi* winter fur ; and the more so, 

 because I had seen, about three weeks or a month before, a stoat in 

 it* summer coat or brown fur. I was therefore naturally led to con- 

 sider whether the respective situations which the brown and white 

 stoats seen by me this warm whiter inhabited, could alone account 

 for the difference of the colour of their fur, in any clear and satisfactory 

 manner. The situation then where the Brown Stoat was seen, is in 

 nearly 54 32' N. lat, 1 19' W. long., upon a plain elevated a very 

 few feet above the level of the river Tees, in the county of Durham. 

 Again, the place where I met with the Ermine, or White Stoat, on 

 the 23rd January, 1832, is in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 

 nearly 54 12' N. lat, 1 13' W. long. ; it is situated at a very con- 

 siderable elevation, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the lofty 

 moorlands called the Hambledon Hill*. These constitute the south- 

 western range of the Cleveland Hills, which rise in height from 1100 

 feet to 1200 feet above the sea. At the time, the Ermine was making 

 bis way toward* the hills, where, no doubt, he lived, or frequently 

 haunted ; and consequently the great coldness of the atmosphere, even 

 in so mild a winter, upon so elevated and bleak a spot a* that moor- 

 land, would satisfactorily account for the appearance of the animal 

 in its white fur ; although the place is, in a direct line, more than 23 

 miles distant to the south of the fields near the Tees, inhabited by the 

 Brown Stoat" 



The Ermine-Weasel, the length of whose head and body is 9 inches 

 10 lines, the tail being 4 inches 8 lines, is the Carlwm of the Welsh ; 

 Stoat, Stout, and Greater Weasel of the English ; L'He'rmine and Le 

 Roselet of the French ; Armellino of the Italians ; Armino and 

 A rmelina of the Spanish ; Hermelin of the Germans; Hermelin and 

 Lekatt of the Swedes ; Hermilyn of the Dutch ; Hermelin and Lekat 

 of the Danes ; Seegop* and Shacooshew of the Cree Indians ; and 

 Terreeya of the Esquimaux. 



The Ermine is found generally in temperate Europe, but common 

 only in the north. The finest, that is, those with the longest and 

 thickest fur, and of the purest and brightest colour, are imported 

 from the high latitudes. Russia, Norway, Siberia, Lapland, furnish 

 them abundantly. The British importation, in 1833, was 105,139; 

 and 187,000 in 1850. In America it is found from the most northern 

 limits to the middle districts of the United States. Ermine-skins 

 formed part of the Canada exports in the tune of Cbarlevoix ; but 

 they have so sunk in value, that they are said not to repay the Hud- 

 son s Bay Company the expense of collecting them, and very few are 

 brought to this country from that quarter. 



" It appears that in England generally," says Mr. Macgillivray, " the 

 Kriniue is less common than the Weasel; 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 stoney 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 security, and it sometimes takes possession of a rabbit's burrow. 

 It preys on game and and other birds, from the grouse and ptarmigan 

 downwards, sometimes attacks poultry or sucks their eggs, and i* a 

 determined enemy to rats and moles. Young rabbits and hare* 

 frequently become victims to its rapacity, and even full-grown indivi- 

 duals 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. Ita 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 courage is surprising, for it 

 will attack, seize by the throat, and cling to a grouse, hare, or other 

 animal xtrong enough to carry it off, and it does not hesitate on Ocea- 

 nian to betake itself to the water. Sometimes when met with in a 

 thicket or stoney place, it will stand and gaze upon the intruder, as if 

 conscious of security ; and, although its boldness ha* been exaggerated 

 in the popular stories which have made their way into books ofnatural 

 history, it cannot be denied that, in proportion to its size, it is at least 

 as courageous as the tiger or the lion." 



Mr. Bell was informed by the Rev. F. W. Hope that the latter, 

 while shooting in Shropshire, was attracted by the loud shrill scream 

 of a bare which be thought had been just caught in a poacher's snare. 

 He ran toward* the spot, and there saw a hare limping off, apparently 

 in great distress, with something attached to the side of the throat 

 TbU proved to be a stoat, and the stricken hare made it* way into the 

 bnuhwood with ite enemy still holding on. In England it takes 

 advantage of the galleries of the mole for ite winter retreat, as well a* 

 the rabbit burrow. 



Captain Lyon, KN., saw the Ermine hunting the footstep* of mice 

 in the north as a hound would hunt a fox, and observed their burrows 



in the snow, which were pushed up in the same manner a* the track* 

 of mole* in Britain. These rmsijru ran in a serpentine direction, and 

 near the hole or dwelling-place the circles were multiplied a* if to 

 render the approach more intricate. 



The same graphic voyager gives a lively description of a captive 

 Ermine : " He was a fierce little fellow, and the instant he obtained 

 daylight in his new dwelling, he flew at the bars, and shook them with 

 the greatest fury, uttering a very shrill passionate cry, and emitting 

 the strong musky smell which I formerly noticed. No threat* or 

 teasing could induce him to retire to the sleeping-place, and whenever 

 he did so of hi* own accord, the slightest rubbing on the bars was 

 sufficient to bring him out to the attack of his tormentors. He soon 

 took food from the hand, but not until he had first used every exertion 

 to reach and bite the finger* which conveyed it This boldness gave 

 me great hopes of being able to keep my little captive alive through 

 the winter, but he was killed by an accident" 



Sir John Richardson states that the Ermine is a bold animal, and 

 often domesticates itself in the habitations of the fur-traders, where 

 it may be heard the live-long night pursuing the white-footed mouse 

 (Mm leucopui). He remarks that, according to Indian report, this 

 species bring* forth ten or twelve young at a time. In this country 

 it produces about five in April or May. 



In Siberia Ermine* are taken in traps baited with flesh ; and in 

 Norway they are either shot with blunt arrow*, or taken in traps made 

 of two flat' stones, one being propped up with a stick, to which is 

 fastened a baited string. This the animal nibbles, when the stone falls 

 and crushes it Two logs of wood are used for the same purpose and 

 in the same manner in Lapland. 



M. Putoriui, the Polecat, or Fitchet Weasel Stouter in proportion 

 than either the Common Weasel or the Ermine, and the head broader. 

 Nose rather pointed, ears round and not conspicuous. Neck compara- 

 tively short Tail inclining to bushy, rather more than a third of the 

 length of the body and head. There are two kinds of fur in this 

 specie* ; the short is fulvous and woolly, the long is black, brownish- 

 black, and shining. A brown colour mingled with yellow, varying 

 according to the proportions of these two sorts of fur in the individual, 

 is the result There are some white marks about the mouth and ears, 

 and the parts which are darkest in colour are the bead, tail, and feet. 

 Length of the head and body 1 foot, 5 inches, 6 lines ; of the tail, 5 

 inches 5 lines. Such is Mr. Bell's measurement Mr. Macgillivray 

 makes the total length to the end of the tail 17 inches, and observes 

 that the anal sac is usually represented as single ; and he found that 

 beneath the extremity of the rectum externally two sacs containing 

 a yellowish fetid substance of the consistence of thick cream were 



This is the Ffwlbard of the Welsh; Fulimart, Foumart (a* well as 

 the term* given at the head of the description) of the English. Polecat 

 has been supposed to have been a corruption of Polish Cat ; but this 

 seems to be not much better than a guess; Foumart and Fulimart 

 have with better reason been considered to be contractions of Foul 

 Martin, in contradistinction to the Sweet Martin. It is the Putois of 

 the French, Foetta and Puzzolo of the Italians, Putoro of the Spanish ; 

 Iltis, Ulk, and Buntaing, of the Germans; Bousing of the Dutch; Iller 

 of the Swedes, and Ilder of the Dane*. 



It i* found throughout Europe. Pennant says that it is common in 

 the temperate parts of Russia, but grows scarcer iu Siberia, exc< ] > in 

 the desert of Baraba and beyond the lake Baikal. 



rolccal (Miuttla Pvtoritu). 



The Polecat i* molt destructive to the poultry -yard and the preserve ; 

 its appetite for slaughter, which seems never to be satiated as long as 

 any living thing remains within its reach, rendering it a most ruinous 

 neighbour to those who rear fowls or keep up a head of game. Not 

 only the young birds fall victims to it, but the parent* also ; nor are 



