156 



THE STOAT OR ERMINE, 

 PLATES XI. AND XII. 

 Mustek Erminea. LINN. 



Tail a third of the entire length ; fur short, its colour 

 in winter yellowish-white, in summer brownish-red on the 

 upper parts ; the terminal half of the tail always black. 



Mustek Erminea. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. 68 ; Desmar. Mammal. 

 180; Jen. Brit. Vert. Anim. 18; Bell, Brit. Quadr. 148. 



AMONG the many individuals of this species which 

 I have examined, some so much exceeded others in 

 size and weight, that I was induced to suspect the 

 existence of two Ermines in Britain ; but the differ- 

 ences in these respects, as well as in the length of 

 the tail, the latter depending chiefly on that of its 

 hair, are not greater than those observed in the 

 Weasel, Otter, and Fox; and, on comparing to- 

 gether a multitude obtained in different parts of the 

 country, and at different seasons, I can discover no 

 essential difference between them. 



The Ermine is a very beautiful, and most lively 



