122 The Naturalist in Siluria. 



aware of that the eyes of young ferrets do not open till 

 five and sometimes six weeks after their birth ; and, 

 moreover, that one eye often opens days before the 

 other. 



WEASEL, WILD DUCK, AND WATERHEN. 



One of my friends, who has an artificial pond in his 

 grounds, directly in front of the house, and within view 

 of the windows, was witness not long since to a somewhat 

 curious spectacle. In the pond was a pair of wild ducks, 

 or rather a duck and drake mallards pinioned to pre- 

 vent them flying away. Some moorhens, or more properly 

 waterhens, were there also, regular denizens of the place. 

 While watching them, my friend observed a vermiform 

 quadruped come out from among the evergreens, and go 

 skulking around the edge of the pond, now darting this 

 way, now that. There could be no mistaking a weasel, 

 which it was, nor its design evidently to make a meal 

 upon one of the waterhens. But the drake, perceiving 

 it, as if taking up the cudgels on their account 

 though more likely on his own and that of the duck 

 rushed out of the water, and, with open beak, hissing 

 the while, dashed right at the weasel, which instantly 

 turned tail, and scuttled back into the bushes. The 

 singular part of the affair was in a weasel, which very 

 rarely exhibits fear of any other animal, and will even 

 show fight to a dog, thus retreating from an assailant so 

 little formidable as a drake. Possibly the loud hissing 

 and wing- flapping of the latter had for the moment dis- 

 concerted it, 



