MAMMALS OF MINNESOTA. 113 



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"Whenever an Ermine has taken up its residence, the mice 

 in its vicinity for half a mile around have been found rapidly 

 to diminish in number. Their active little enemy is able to 

 force its thin vermiform body into the burrows, it follows them 

 to the end of their galleries, and destroys whole families. We 

 have on several occasions, after a light snow, followed the trail 

 of this Weasel through fields and meadows, and witnessed the 

 immense destruction which it occasioned in a single night. It 

 enters every hole under stumps, logs, stone heaps and fences, 

 and evidences of its bloody deeds are seen in the mutilated re- 

 mains of the mice scattered on the snow. The little Chipping 

 or Ground Squirrel, Tamias Lysteri [sc. striatus~\ takes up its 

 residence in the vicinity of the grain fields and is know to carry 

 off in its cheek pouches vast quantities of wheat and buckwheat, 

 to serve as winter stores The Ermine instinctively discovers 

 these snug retreats, and in the space of a few minutes destroys 

 a whole family of these beautiful little Tamice; without even 

 resting awhile until it has consumed its now abundant food, its 

 appetite craving for more blood, as if impelled by an irresistible 

 destiny, it proceeds in search of other objects on which it may 

 glut its insatiable vampire-like thirst. The Norway rat and the 

 Common House Mouse take possession of our barns, wheat stacks, 

 and granaries, and destroy vast quantities of grain. In some in- 

 stances the farmer is reluctantly compelled to pay even more 

 than a tithe in contributions towards the support of these pests. 

 Let however an Ermine find its way into these barns and gran- 

 aries, and there take up its winter residence, and the havoc 

 which is made among the rats and mice will soon be observa- 

 ble. The Ermine pursues them to their farthest retreats, and 

 in a few weeks the premises are entirely free from their depre- 

 dations. We once placed a half domesticated Ermine in an out- 

 house infested- with rats, shutting up the holes on the outside 

 to prevent their escape. The little animal soon commenced his 

 work of destruction. The squeaking of the rats was heard 

 throughout the day. In the evening, it came out licking its 

 mouth, and seemed like a hound after a long chase, much fa- 

 tigued . A board of the floor was raised to enable us to ascer- 

 tain the result of our experiment, and an immense number of 

 rats were observed, which, although they had been killed in 

 different parts of the building, had been dragged together, form 

 ing a compact heap. 



' 'The Ermine is then of immense benefit to the farmer. We 

 are of the opinion that it has been over-hated and too indis 



