THE WEASEL AND THE STOAT (THE ERMINE). 101 



of the tail. The tail seldom exceeds 2^ inches. 

 The female is about 1 inch shorter. 



PECULIARITIES OF THE STOAT BREEDING. 



Curious though it may seem, there is no evi- 

 dence to suggest that the stoat produces more than 

 one litter per season. The young are born in 

 April, and they take little, if any, longer to mature 

 than do weasels. I have watched the growth of 

 the young in Galloway, in the south-west of Scot- 

 land, but by August I have never seen any but 

 fully grown stoats. The mated couples appear 

 more faithful to one another than are weasels. 



SIZE OF THE STOAT. 



A full-grown male stoat will measure 11 inches 

 from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail ; 

 tail, about 6^ inches. The female seldom exceeds 

 9 inches ; tail, about 5 inches. 



DISPOSITION AND COLOUR-CHANGE. 



The stoat is described by gamekeepers as a 

 more playful creature than the weasel, which 

 means that it is more commonly seen bounding 

 along hedgerows and hunting generally in the 

 open rather than about burrows. As already 

 stated, the stoat is easily distinguished by the 

 conspicuous black tip that adorns its tail, this 

 feature being absent in the weasel. During the 

 periodic stoat plagues that fall upon most of our 

 woods, the animals can be seen at almost any hour 

 of the day or night pursuing rabbits, &c., whereas, 

 if a similar plague of weasels exists, they are much 

 less conspicuous. 



In winter the stoat sheds its russet coat and 

 assumes one in keeping with the snowy landscape. 



