WEASELS AND THEIR HABITS 



169 



the temperature of an animal having white fur would 

 continue more equable than that of one clothed in darker 

 colors, although the latter would enjoy a greater degree 

 of warmth while exposed to the sun's influence. Thus 

 the mere presence of a degree of cold, sufficient to prove 

 hurtful if not fatal to the animal, is itself the immediate 

 cause of such a change in its condition as shall at once 

 negative its in- 

 jurious influ- 

 ence." 



Our ermines 

 are prolific 

 breeders, and 

 may bring 

 forth as many 

 as six or seven 

 at a birth; in 

 the extreme 

 north this may 

 take place even 

 before the fe- 

 male has as- 

 sumed the sum- 

 mer coat. She 

 usually selects 

 for her home 

 any convenient 

 excavation in 

 the ground, or 

 among the 

 rocks, or cavi- 

 t i e s in the 

 trunks of trees. 

 The breeding season depends to some extent upon the 

 latitude, being later in the far north than in the more 

 southern parts of the range of the species. The female 

 specimens of the ermine are markedly smaller than the 

 males, although they possess all the characteristics of the 

 species, including the presence of the anal glands and 

 the power to make themselves offensive through their 

 use. 



It is remarkable what big creatures an ermine will 

 attack and sometimes overpower. The writer believes 

 it was Nelson who stated that in the far north the 

 Juneau ermine will, with ease, overcome a ptarmigan or 

 any of the large northern hares. He simply runs them 

 down, jumps on their backs, and a few bites at the neck 

 closes the tragedy. To suck as much blood as his fancy 



SO AGILE ARE OUR WEASELS THAT THEY ARE ENABLED TO CAPTURE SMALL BIRDS ON 



THE WING 



Fig. 10. This spirited scene is one of frequent occurrence in the northeastern part of the country. The 

 birds are common snowbirds (Junco), and the voracious little weasel is in full winter fur. (Photograph by the 

 author of the drawing of the New York weasel by Leon L. Pray in Cory's Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin.) 



dictates is the next operation, when his inborn cruelty 

 impels him to seek other victims to satisfy his rapacious 

 appetite. Indeed, if one has ever had the opportunity to 

 corner an ermine in some cavity or other, and looked in 

 upon the little bloodthirsty vagabond, his face is a very 

 good index of this character ; it is stamped with the very 

 personality of cruelty and power. His lancet-like teeth 



may grin at 

 you; he glares 

 at you, while 

 his small eyes 

 seem to actual- 

 ly glisten with 

 a greenish 

 light, intensify- 

 ing their pene- 

 t r a t i o n and 

 cunning. H e 

 has all the ap- 

 pearance of the 

 deadly rattler 

 about to strike, 

 and fortunate 

 it is that he 

 lacks the ma- 

 terial in his or- 

 ganization t o 

 render the bite 

 a venomous 

 one. 



In America 

 ermine skins 

 are but little 

 sought in the fur trade, as the demand for them is small. 

 In the Yukon region the natives hardly think it pays to 

 trap them, so limited is the call for their pelts. Our 

 Indians in the north use the tails or even the skins of the 

 entire animal in their ceremonial attire, or attached to 

 some of their implements and fetiches. 



In closing the article the writer desires to express his 

 thanks to the National Museum authorities for the facili- 

 ties extended in the matter of photographing specimens 

 of mounted weasels in the exhibition series of that insti- 

 tution, and more especially to Dr. James E. Benedict, 

 Chief of Exhibits, who, upon this and numerous other 

 occasions, did all in his power to see to it that everything 

 necessary to the accomplishment of such a piece of work 

 was promptly made available. 



