THE STOAT, OR ERMINE. 187 



The care that is taken by nature for the pre- 

 servation of her productions, is peculiarly manifest 

 in all those animals which change the colour of 

 their hair or fur according to the different seasons 

 of summer and winter; and, of these, few are more 

 celebrated than the Ermines. Were their red sum- 

 mer colour to be continued when all the country is 

 covered, for months, with snow ; or their white 

 winter colour, whilst the ground is clad with ver- 

 dure; their appearance would be much too con- 

 spicuous for them to escape the attacks of innu- 

 merable enemies, which (by the havoc they would 

 commit among them) might endanger the existence 

 even of the whole race. 



In consequence of this change of habit in the 

 Stoat, the same animal has frequently been mis- 

 taken, at different seasons of the year, for two dis- 

 tinct species. The following facts will, however, 

 dispel any doubts that may still be retained on the 

 subject. 



When M. Daubenton was at Montbard, in the 

 beginning of March, 1757, an Ermine that had 

 been caught in the neighbourhood was brought to 

 him. This animal was entirely white, except the 

 tip of the tail, which was black: the white colour 

 had, however, a slight tinge of yellow, perceptible 

 only when the animal was held in certain positions 

 with respect to the light. It was kept in a cage, 

 with the design of observing whether, and at what 

 time, it would assume its brown coat; and whether, 



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