The Wit of the Wild 



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weasel lay at the point of death among the 

 bruised and bloody weeds, an indomitable spirit 

 still glared from the black eyes, the sharp teeth 

 were bared as defiantly as ever in the face of his 

 big conqueror, and it died like a hero. 



These weasels, which are substantially the 

 same as the European stoats, whose coats, 

 turning white (except the black tail- tip) in 

 winter, in northern countries, give us the " er- 

 mine " of the furriers, are one of the few kinds 

 of wild quadrupeds which seem not only to 

 maintain themselves against civilization, but 

 actually to profit by it. This they can do 

 because of their small size, their clever wits, 

 developed by a life of constant cunning, their 

 hardihood and fearlessness. 



Finding some cranny to their liking among 

 the rocks or within an old stone wall, a weasel 

 family will furnish it with bedding of dried 

 grass and make a home as snug as it is secure. 

 An exceedingly narrow doorway will serve 

 them, for their loose and lithe bodies can creep 

 through a very small and tortuous aperture, 

 which may be defended against any enemy un- 



