160 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



Range and The Weasel is of frequent occurrence 



Habits of the throughout Europe, though perhaps 



Weasel. no t so frequent as in northern Asia ; 



it is also found in British North America, and the 



northern portions of the United States. It inhabits 



[>lains as well as mountains, forests as well as wood- 

 ess stretches of country, and it frequents populated 

 districts as well as the wilderness. It discovers a 

 suitable dwelling place in any locality, for it adapts 

 itself to circumstances, and always devises for itself 

 a loop-hole of escape from enemies. In this way it 

 inhabits hollow trees, heaps of stone, hollow river 

 banks, Mole's burrows and the hiding places of 

 Hamsters and Rats, and in winter repairs to barns, 

 cellars, stables, garrets and similar retreats, fre- 

 quently even in cities. In those localities where its 

 movements are undisturbed it prowls around in the 

 daytime ; but in those where it is pursued or har- 

 assed it sallies forth only at night, or if by daylight 

 only with the greatest caution. 



The observer who noiselessly approaches the hid- 

 ing place of a Weasel may easily secure the pleasure 

 of watching it. He may then hear a slight rustle of 

 leaves and see a small, brown creature gliding along. 

 As soon as the Weasel catches sight of a human be- 

 ing it stands on its hind legs to obtain a better view. 

 The idea of flight seldom enters this dwarf-like 

 creature's head, but it looks at the world with a pair 

 of bold eyes, and assumes an attitude of defiance. 

 When one goes very near it the Weasel is some- 

 times bold enough to approach him, putting on an 

 indescribably impudent look, as if it wishes to find 

 out what the intruder means by disturbing it. 

 Great Courage More than once it has happened that 



and Audacity the audacious little creature has at- 



of Weasels, tacked Man, and retreated only after a 

 prolonged fight. It has also been known to suspend 

 itself by its teeth from the legs of Horses, and in 

 these cases has only been made to relax its tenacious 

 hold by the joint efforts of Horse and rider. With 

 so great a degree of courage the Weasel combines 

 an incomparable presence of mind. The Weasel is 

 never at a loss for a way to escape ; it does not give 

 up hope even in the claws of a bird of prey. A nat- 

 uralist once saw a large bird swoop down on a field, 

 pick up a small quadruped and fly away with it high 

 up in the air. Suddenly the bird staggered in its 

 flight, and then dropped to the ground dead. The 

 surprised spectator hurried to the place and saw a 

 Weasel tripping merrily away. It had adroitly sev- 

 ered its formidable enemy's neck with a bite and so 

 saved itself. 



Animals Preyed It is a natural conclusion that so 

 Upon by courageous an animal must be a ter- 

 the Weasel. r jbl e Beast of Prey, and such the 

 Weasel truly is. It wages open war upon all small 

 quadrupeds and causes dreadful ravages among 

 them. Among the mammals it preys upon all Mice, 

 house Rats and water Rats, Moles, young Hamsters, 

 Hares and Rabbits. Among the birds it kills young 

 Chickens, Pigeons, Larks and others living on the 

 ground ; it attacks even those birds it finds sleeping 

 on trees, and plunders their nests. Among the rep- 

 tiles it lies in wait for Lizards and Snakes, though it 

 cannot withstand the repeated bites of a venomous 

 Snake. It also feeds on Frogs and fishes, in short, on 

 every kind of flesh, including even that of its own 

 species. When it can get hold of Crabs, it opens 

 their hard shell very adroitly to get at their meat. 

 Its small size and incredible agility stand it in good 

 stead in its hunts, and it may be said that no small 



animal possesses immunity from it. It has been 

 observed to hunt in company with others of its 

 species, a fact which is not astonishing, as it lives 

 gregariously, and there are great numbers of these 

 animals in some places. Pechuel-Loesche once saw 

 seven adult Weasels, probably belonging to the same 

 family. They were diligently searching a piece of 

 meadow for game in bright daylight, and they did 

 not seem to be much disconcerted at having a spec- 

 tator. The Weasel seizes small animals by the nape 

 of the neck or by the head; larger ones it tries to 

 seize by the throat. It will make one or two aper- 

 tures in the tip of an egg and suck out the entire 

 contents without losing a drop. It is said to carry 

 away large eggs between its chin and breast; smaller 

 ones it carries in its mouth. When it has killed a 

 large animal it does not eat the flesh but contents 

 itself with lapping the blood; but smaller prey it 

 eats up entirely. When it has once seized an animal, 

 it never lets the victim go until it is dead. It can 

 often be seen hunting in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of human habitations, and it displays scarcely 

 any timidity in its actions. 



The Young A litter of Weasels numbers from three 

 Weasel and to eight blind young ones, the mother 

 Its Mother, usually selecting a hollow tree or a bur- 

 row and preparing a nest-like couch for them out of 

 straw, hay or leaves. She is very fond of her off- 

 spring, suckles them for a very long time and pro- 

 vides for them for a few months after they are 

 weaned, bringing them live Mice to eat. .When she 

 thinks the retreat unsafe, she carries them away in 

 her mouth. In danger the faithful mother defends 

 them with unlimited courage. When the charming 

 little animals are grown up, they often play with the 

 mother, and it is both curious and pretty to see such 

 a little group romping aronud in the sunshine on a 

 meadow; they prefer one that abounds in subterra- 

 nean burrows, especially holes made by Moles. 



Young Weasels while still following their mother 

 are of the proper age to be domesticated. Buffon 

 was the originator of the belief that the little animal 

 is not capable of domestication, but this is a wrong 

 opinion to hold, though it is not entirely without 

 foundation. Weasels which have been accustomed 

 to people from childhood are remarkably tame and 

 charming little creatures. 



Anecdote Of the different anecdotes about Wea- 



of the Tame sels, one, recounted by Wood in his 



Weasel. Natural History as coming from a lady, 



strikes me as the most attractive, and I will here give 



an extract from it : 



" If I pour some milk into my hand," says this lady, 

 "my tame Weasel will drink a good deal, but if I do- 

 not pay it this compliment it will scarcely take a 

 drop. When satisfied, it generally goes to sleep. 

 My chamber is the place of its residence and I have 

 found a method of dispelling its strong odor by per- 

 fumes. By day it sleeps in a quilt, into which it gets- 

 by an unscwn place which it has discovered on the 

 edge ; during the night it is kept in a wired box or 

 cage which it always enters with reluctance and 

 leaves with pleasure. If it be set at liberty before 

 my time , of rising, after a thousand playful little 

 tricks, it gets into my bed, and goes to sleep beside 

 me. If I am up first, it spends a full half-hour in 

 caressing me, playing with my fingers like a little 

 Dog, jumping on my head and my neck with a light- 

 ness and elegance which I have never found in any 

 other animal. If I present my hands at the distance 

 of three feet, it jumps into them without ever miss- 



