THE POLECAT. 



189 



change may take place in either way. Some of his specimens, " notably those taken in spring, show 

 the long woolly white coat of winter in most places, and in others present patches generally a streak 

 along tiis back of shorter, coarser, thinner hair, evidently of the new spring coat, wholly dark-brown. 

 Other specimens, notably autumnal ones, demonstrate the turning to white of existing hairs, these being 

 white at the roots for a varying distance, and tipped with brown. These are simple facts not open to 

 question. 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 of the 

 same colour, and afterwards change ; that is, the change may or may not be coincident with shedding. 

 That it ordinarily is not so coincident seems shown by the greater number of specimens in which we 

 observe white hairs brown-tipped. As Mr. Bell contends, temperature is the immediate controlling 

 agent. This is amply proven in the fact that the northern animals always change ; that in those from 

 intermediate latitudes the change is incomplete, while those from farther south do not change at all." 

 The advantage of the change to the animal is manifest; its colour becomes that of the snow over which 



WEASEL (1) AND EUMINE (2) IN THEIR WINTER CLOTHING. 



it travels in pursuit of game, so that it is less easily seen and avoided. Unfortunately for it, however, 

 a similar " protective colouring " is adopted by some of its victims. 



The habits of the Stoat resemble those of the Weasel ; it is dangerous both to the sheep-fold and 

 to the poultry-yard, but partly atones for its poaching by the immense number of Rats and Mice it is 

 capable of destroying. Auduboii relates that he " once placed a half-domesticated Ermine in an out- 

 house infested with Rats, shutting up the holes on the outside to prevent their escape. The little 

 animal soon commenced its work of destruction. The squeaking of the Rats was heard throughout the 

 day. In the evening it came out, licking its mouth, and seemed like a hound after a long chase, much 

 fatigued. A board of the floor was raised to enable us to ascertain the result of our experiment, and 

 an immense number of Rats were observed, which, although they had been killed in different parts of 

 the building, had been dragged together, forming a compact heap." , 



Both Weasel and Ermine are found over the greater part of Northern Europe, Asia, and America. 



THE POLECAT.* 



In form this animal does not differ very markedly from the Marten, except for the fact that its 

 head is broader, its snout blunter, and its tail very much shorter : the latter being about five and a 



* Putorius fcetidus. 



