THE PINE MARTEN. 325 



The latter produced his volume and read the few 

 notes he had made. 



"The ermine (Mustela erminea)" said he, "closely 

 resembles the common weasel, and is, in fact, related to 

 it. It attains the length of about nine inches ; but this 

 measurement does not include the tail. As you can 

 now see (from the specimen you have before you), its 

 colour at this time of the year is a beautiful brown on 

 the upper parts, and below is a yellowish white, the 

 tail being terminated by a black tuft. 



" While thus coloured it is called a roselet. At the 

 approach of winter this coat gives place to another of 

 pure white ; but the black tip of the tail remains un- 

 altered. It is a common animal in the northern dis- 

 tricts of both Europe and America, and is of course 

 very destructive to small quadrupeds as well as to most 

 birds. Were its coat to retain its summer hue during 

 the winter, the ermine would certainly starve to death, 

 as its colour would be too noticeable to allow it to 

 surprise its prey on the spotless white of the snow. 

 In addition to this, it has been remarked that its white 

 fur enables it to maintain a more equable temperature 

 during the severe cold of the Arctic winter than if it 

 were furnished with a darker covering. 



" The ermines are also allied to another animal, which 

 indeed forms a member of the same group. This is the 

 pine marten (Maries abietum); so called from being 

 supposed to eat the seeds of the pine cones. Its diet, 

 however, is not so innocuous, as it devours squirrels, 



