226 



THE BADGER AND WEASEL FAMILY. 



damp, fret]uently becomes ill, but is just as 

 bloodthirsty as the polecat. 1 1 is probable that 

 this race of albinos was developed in Greece 

 and Italy, where the polecat in ancient times 

 took the place of the cat as a mouse-catcher, 

 and that the race which had in that way 

 become more familiar with man continued to 

 be bred for the huntincf of ral)bits. Aristotle 



Fig. 119. — The Common St0.1t (Piitorius enninea 



was acquainted with the ferret, and the 

 Emperor Augustus sent some to the inhabi- 

 tants of the Balearic Islands and Spain, who 

 could not protect themselves against the 

 ravages committed in their fields by rabbits. 

 The ferret is known only in a half tame 

 condition, and it is still used in hunting 

 rabbits, but also, for the sake of sport, to 

 fight with large rats. Snares are set across 

 the mouths of the passages leading out of 

 rabbit burrows, and the spirited little animal, 

 with a small bell attached to it, is then 

 allowed in. The rabbits, mad with terror, 

 take to flight as soon as they hear the bell, 

 and are caught in the snares. It is necessary. 



however, to muzzle the ferret, for otherwise 

 it would at once devour the first rabbit in 

 which it could set its teeth, and then sleep 

 out the period of digestion in the burrow, 

 putting the patience of the rabbit-catcher to 

 a hard trial. 



Another species of polecat is known in the 

 south-east of Europe, extending as far as 

 the Caucasus. This is the Tiger Polecat 

 [Ptitorius sarmatmis), a species with yellow 

 spots and stripes on a fur of a darker colour 

 generally. It hunts chieHy the bobaks, the 

 small marmots of these regions. The fur is 

 little esteemed. 



The Weasels, of which the sub-genus Gale 

 has been formed, are distinguished by their 

 long worm-like body, very short legs, and 

 the colour of their fur, dark on the back, 

 very light underneath. The numerous species 

 are found in both hemispheres, as well in the 

 north as in the torrid zone. 



Notwithstanding their small size the weasels 

 are probably the most courageous and blood- 

 thirsty of all carnivores. They live among 

 heaps of stones, in clefts in the rocks, and in 

 general wherever they can find a hiding- 

 place, and they carry on their hunt by day as 

 well as by night. Two native species are 

 shown in the illustrations. 



The Common Stoat or Ermine {Ptitorms 

 {Mustela) ci'minca), fig. 119, is one of the 

 larger species of weasels, attaining the length 

 of 10 inches with a tail of four inches. 



Like most animals belonging to northern 

 regions the stoat changes its colour with the 

 season, and this it does even in our temperate 

 zone. In winter it is perfectly white, except 

 that there is a yellow shimmer underneath 

 and a beautiful black tuft at the tip of the 

 tail. In summer it is of a bright chestnut- 

 brown on the back and sides, yellowish white 

 on the belly, and quite black on the inner 

 sides of the paws and at the end of the tail. 

 It is an unwearied destroyer of rats, mice, 

 and field-mice, young rabbits, hares, par- 

 tridges and fowls, frogs, fish, and crabs. 



