170 THE ERMINE. 



four inches long, the tip almost black. He is a bold hunter, 

 and follows and destroys the hare, and other animals of equal 

 size. It is said, even, that several together will venture to 

 attack a man. They are caught in America by traps, which, 

 giving the animal a sudden blow, kill it without injuring the 

 skin. 



The winter coat of the ermine is produced by the whiten- 



ing of the fur, and not, as was once supposed, by the substi- 

 tution of white for dark hairs. Probably one cause of this 

 change of hue may be that the energies of the creature con- 

 centrate themselves on the vital organs, to enable it to resist 

 the extreme low temperature of the icy regions it inhabits, 

 and cannot thus spare a sufficient amount of blood for the 



