WEASEL FAMILY. 65 



discussion. It was originally considered that the animal sheds its coat in the 

 autumn and spring ; the dark summer coat being gradually replaced by the advent 

 of the white hairs of the winter one. Doubts then arose whether the change 

 in colour was always coincident with the development of the winter and summer 

 coat, and whether the hairs themselves might not actually change colour. Dr. 

 Elliott Coues succeeded, however, in proving that the change might take place 

 in either way, some specimens taken in spring showing the long, woolly white 

 winter coat on some parts of the body, while on other parts they had the short, 

 coarse, brown hair of summer; and he observes that "we may safely conclude 

 that if the requisite temperature be experienced, at the periods of renewal of the 

 coat, the new hairs will come out of the opposite colour ; if not, they will appear 



THE STOAT OR ERMINE IN WINTER DRESS (^ nat. size). 



of the same colour, and afterwards change ; that is, the change may or may not be 

 coincident with the shedding." 



Dr. Coues attributed the reason of the colour-change entirely to the effects of 

 temperature ; but strong objection is taken to this view by Dr. Hart Merriam, who 

 observes that it occurs in captive specimens kept continually in warm rooms. Dr. 

 Merriam relies, however, chiefly upon the circumstance observed by himself and 

 others that among the stoats of the Adirondack Mountains the- winter change never 

 takes place till after the first fall of snow, which generally occurs towards the end 

 of October or the beginning of November. Although the temperature of the air 

 may be much lower before than subsequent to this first snowfall, yet it is true 

 " that ermine caught up to the very day of the first appearance of snow bear no 

 evidence of the impending change. Within forty-eight hours, however, after the 

 occurrence of the snowstorm the coat of the ermine has already commenced to 



VOL. ii. 5 



