102 THE WEASEL AND THE STOAT (THE ERMINE). 



The change is not always perfect, but grades with 

 the altitude. In the south of England the stoats 

 often remain brown throughout the winter. In the 

 Midlands the brown shades into gray, sometimes 

 only a streak of brown remaining along the 

 animal's back and about the legs and the paws, its 

 flanks being gray. In the north of England and in 

 Scotland the stoat of summer becomes the ermine 

 of winter, the animal being quite white except for 

 the black tip to its tail, which remains under 

 any conditions hence the black-flaked ' ermine of 

 kings.' Generally the furs are delicately tinted 

 with yellow, which, though seemingly a beautify- 

 ing feature, nevertheless detracts from their market 

 value. 



Ireland has a stoat of its own, smaller than the 

 British variety, though identical in habits, &c. 

 The common weasel (Putorius nivalis) is unknown 

 in Ireland. 



