188 musteladj:. 



selves on one occasion in a place of concealment, near 

 one of these nests, we saw the parent bring, in a little 

 more than an hour, five Mice for her young, which were 

 playing in and out of the hole. On the arrival of the 

 mother with the fifth, we shouted, causing a hasty retreat, 

 the Mouse, which we wished to examine, being left be- 

 hind. It proved to be a full-grown specimen of the 

 Field Vole, Arvicola ayrestis, and from the general resem- 

 blance which all bore to this one, we have no doubt that 

 they were of the same species. They were carried by 

 the neck, with the body hanging in front of the animal's 

 breast, and not in either instance dragged on the ground; 

 and it was very curious and interesting to see the little 

 creature come marching along witli her load, and with 

 neck elevated into a vertical position to hold it high 

 enough to be clear of the ground. Nothing can exceed — 

 scarcely perhaps equal — the playfulness of a nest of 

 Weasels about three-fourths grown. Kittens and pup- 

 pies are proverbially playful, but they are no match 

 in this respect with the young creatures of which we 

 are now speaking. They will take hold of each other, 

 and roll over and over with such rapidity, and cut so 

 many antics, that the eye can scarcely follow their move- 

 ments ; and then, perhaps, darting into their hole, one 

 after another, will in a few moments again appear, and 

 repeating their gambols again disappear, and so on, until 

 the arrival of the mother, when all will follow her into 

 the hole, and remain there for some time after she has 

 again gone forth in quest of more food. We have 

 always observed that the young, even when fully three- 

 fourths grown, venture only a few yards from the hole, 

 and make not the least attempt to purvey for themselves. 

 Sometimes, though rarely, the Weasel becomes white 

 in the winter ; and the tail, though paler than at other 



