308 NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Depreciations. 



house be not large enough for the body of a pi- 

 geon to pass through, the mischievous depreda- 

 tor contents itself with carrying away the heads, 

 and makes a most luxurious feast on the brains. 

 The polecat is also very destructive to all kinds 

 of young game ; and is extremely fond of honey, 

 attacking the hives in, winter, and forcing the 

 bees away. 



During cold weather, when their prey is not 

 easily found in the woods, polecats take up their 

 residence in the vicinity of houses, and they 

 have sometimes been known to burrow near a vil- 

 lage so as scarcely to be extirpated. In the sum- 

 mer season, however, they generally reside in 

 woods, or thick brakes, making holes in the 

 ground of about five or six feet deep. 



The female usually produces five or six young 

 at a time, and soon trains them to habits of ra- 

 pine and cruelty, supplying them very early with 

 the blood of such animals as she happens to seize 

 in her excursions. 



The polecat seems to be a native of the tem- 

 perate climates; -as it is rarely found towards the 

 north, or in the warmer latitudes. The fur, 

 though soft and warm, is held in little estimation, 

 on account of its disagreeable smell. 



