310 VERTEBRATA. 



those who Peed it, and arc otherwise kind to it, it is not gratuitously savage, at least in any 

 very high degree; but very little tampering with it angers it, and makes it bite. When angry, 

 its odor, which is far from pleasant at any time, becomes mnch less so, and establishes its connec- 

 tion with the polecat genus. 



It ; - considerably smaller than the polecat, being three inches shorter in the body, and one 

 inch shorter in the tail ; and it is exceedingly slender. It is very bold, however, and its dis- 

 position to kill rabbits is most inveterate. It is chiefly used for rabbit-hunting, not for killing 

 them ; for it' it were allowed to do that, it would soon dispatch a whole warren, and leave the 

 owner to dig out the dead bodies at his leisure. It is used to " unearth" them, or drive them 

 out of their holes, and it is carefully muzzled to prevent it from biting. The rabbits are not, of 

 course, aware of the perfect harmlessness of the muzzled ferret, and so they scamper out, and are 

 caught, generally by terriers, which watch at the mouths of the holes, and at another time in a 

 net. if the object is to keep the rabbits alive. It is also the very prince of rat-catchers; and, 

 as it is not muzzled for this sort of occupation, it slaughters away in a dashing style, and might 

 be very useful in places infested with rats, were it not for the attention and trouble which it 

 requires. In corn-stoics and mills it might be advantageously kept; and if a snug berth could 

 always be provided for it, it would be very valuable at sea. The ferret, as is the case with most 

 animals when transported to a climate colder than their natural one, spends a great deal of its 

 time in sleep ; but the moment that it awakens, it is in a state for action ; and slender as it seems, 

 it is capable of undergoing a great deal of fatigue. 



The preceding species is only known in America as a foreign curiosity, but this continent has an 

 indubitable species of its own. This is the Black-footed Ferret, P. nir/ripes, a rare animal, in- 

 habiting the country bordering on the lower part of the Platte River, and thence to the Rocky 

 Mountains. Its general color is a yellowish brown, the lower parts white ; length one foot seven 

 inches. In its habits it resembles the European species ; it feeds on small reptiles and quadru- 

 peds, eggs, and insects. It is a destructive foe to rabbits, hare, grouse, and other game. 



The Java Ferret, P. nudipes, is little known. 



Of the smaller kinds of putorius, usually called weasels, there are many species, but they are 

 not, in all cases, well distinguished from each other. One of the most remarkable of them is the 

 Stoat or Ermine, or Ermine-Weasel of the English and Americans, UHermine and Roselet 

 of the French, the Armellino of the Italians, Hermelin of the Germans, Seegoos of the Cree 

 Indians, and Terreeya of the Esquimaux, the P. erminia of naturalists. It is distinguished by 

 the long, flexible, worm-like form, the nimble gliding movements, the sanguinary tastes and de- 

 structive habits of the genus ; and, indeed, possesses all their qualities in the highest perfection. 

 It is ten or eleven inches long, the body reddish brown above, and white beneath; extremity of 

 the tail black. The most remarkable fact in its history is, that the dark part of its fur turns white 

 in winter, in northern climates, but generally remains the same in southern latitudes, as in Vir- 

 ginia, for instance. Even in the State of New York, shades of brown frequently remain blent 

 with the white. The change from brown to white takes place in October and November ; the 

 change from white to brown in March. These alterations are not effected by shedding the coat, 

 but by changes in the color of the hair itself. The young are four to seven in number, and are 

 produced in April. 



The ermine is four 1 in Middle Europe, but is common only in the North. The white are 

 those most valued; the finest are obtained in the most northerly countries, as Russia, Nor- 

 way, Siberia, Lapland, and British America. On this continent their range is very cxtensi\<. 

 that is, from Labrador to Georgia. It is only in the high inland parts that it is met with in tic 

 Southern States. In the United States it is most common in elevated stony districts. The 

 number of ermine-skins annually taken throughout the world must amount to several hundi 

 of thousands. They have long been used to decorate the robes of judicial officers in England, 

 and has a proverbial association with ideas of moral purity. Thev are also much worn bv ladle* 

 and children. 



"It appears that in England, generally," says Mr. Macgillivray, " the ermine is less commot 

 than the weasel; but in Scotland, even to the south of the Frith of Forth, it is certainly o. 



