THE WEAZEL. 193 



the door, and spring on me as I pass with astonishing 

 quickness. 



" His vivacity, agility, and voice, with the manner 

 he utters it, have a strong similitude to those faculties in 

 a squirrel. In the summer season he runs about all 

 night, squeaking \ but, since the cold set in, he has 

 desisted from this practice, but has sometimes expressed 

 this particular sound when rolling on my bed in the 

 sunbeams. 



" It seems exceedingly probable that the weasel sips 

 the dew, judging from the remarkable manner he drinks 

 milk from my hand. He will never drink water when 

 he can get milk, and then in such a small way, that he 

 appears to do it only to cool his tongue, for he evinced 

 fear on several occasions, when water was presented to 

 him. During the summer showers, I caught some 

 rain-water, and endeavoured to get him to enter it to 

 bathe himself, but this he would not do. I then dipped 

 a piece of linen cloth in it ; this seemed to afford him 

 much pleasure, by rolling himself over it, which he did 

 frequently. 



" The curiosity of this little pet is unbounded, for it 

 is impossible to open a box or drawer, without his 

 roving through every part of them ; if even a piece of 

 paper or a book is looked at, he will also examine it 



o 



