16 THE PESTS OF THE FARM. 



impatience o? the animal has appeared to increase with the dura- 

 tion of its imprisonment. 



We have mentioned that in the eastern and middle part of the 

 United States die ermine weasel frequents out-houses, stone-heaps, 

 piles of timber, &c., and though capable of following its prey into 

 small holes, does not burrow in the earth. 



The ermine weasel, in its summer dress, is of a light ferrugi- 

 nous or chestnut-brown color over the whole of the head ; this 

 color extends in a rounded spot below the angle of the jaw ; the 

 whole back, sides, and half of the tail next the body being of the 

 same color. The other portion of the tail is blackish, becoming 

 gradually darker as it approaches the extremity, where it is quite 

 black, and the hairs terminate in a point resembling that of a 

 camel's hair pencil. The external and anterior half of the fore-legs 

 are of the same color as the upper part of the body, and there are 

 three small spots of white over the base of the toes of the right 

 foot, and one on the left, over the first or shortest digit. 



The under part of the animal is nearly of a pure white, begin- 

 ning at the extremity of the under jaw and spreading broadly as 

 it passes over the throat, where it forms a point on each side, al- 

 most reaching to the base of the ear. The white then narrows 

 slightly in descending the neck, spreads broadly upon the breast, 

 and then suddenly growing narrower, passes down the inner and 

 posterior part of the fore legs. Thence it passes along the belly, 

 where it is again narrowed, and then spreading out widely at the 

 groin, it terminates at the upper and anterior part of the thigh, 

 becoming visible for a short distance on its outside. 



The fur in summer is short, soft and silky to the touch, not 

 varying perceptibly in length except on the snout, where it is quite 

 short, and covering the digits of the fore and hind feet, where it is 

 rather longer than on the other parts, and conceals the nails en- 

 tirely. On the tail the hairs are longer and coarser than on the 

 rest of the body, though still soft. 



The ermine weasel, in its winter pelage dress, is of a pure white 

 over the whole head, body, and limbs ; half of the tail to its ex- 

 tremity only retaining its black color. This white color is so puro 

 in the northern regions as to render it almost impossible to dis- 

 tinguish these animals upon the snow, when the ends of their tails 

 are not in sight. The whiteness is not always thus pure, but tha 

 fur is slightly tinted with pale yellow on the tip. 



