162 STOAT OR ERMINE. 



dog, following its track with certainty. Its mo- 

 tions 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, how- 

 ever, its courage is surprising, for it will attack, 

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

 other animal strong enough to carry it off, and it 

 does not hesitate on occasion to betake itself to the 

 water. Sometimes when met with in a thicket or ston^ 

 place, it will stand and gaze upon the intruder, as 

 if conscious of security ; and, although its boldness 

 has been exaggerated in the popular stories which 

 have made their way into books of natural history, 

 it cannot be denied that, in proportion to its size, H 

 is at least as courageous as the tiger or the lion. 



When coloured red it is generally named the 

 Stoat, when white the Ermine. In the latter state 

 the fur is in great request for tippets, muffs, and 

 other articles of winter apparel, the skins being dis- 

 posed side by side, with a tail fastened to each, the 

 olack colour of the latter contrasting agreeably with 

 the white or yellowish-white of the former. The fur 

 is also employed for lining the robes of princes, 

 nobles, and magistrates ; and for these purposes is 

 largely imported from the northern parts of Europe, 

 where it attains a finer and denser texture than in 

 the climate of Great Brita : n. 



