WEASELS. ' 51 



variation of color. In all living creatures one 

 sees adaptations of many kinds to enable them 

 to secure their prey or hide from their enemies, 

 but nowhere is man and a snare, or a trap, or a 

 shotgun taken into account with them. This 

 shows that we are the latest arrivals. Before our 

 coming it was all scratching and biting and run- 

 ning and hiding ; but the human animal twisted 

 a withe handle around a stone and made a club, 

 tied string to a limb and made a bow, dug a 

 pit and covered it for a trap ; in short, he turned 

 mind and wit against the shaggy horde and 

 mastered them. I am led to this remark by the 

 fact that this beautiful mimicry of the snow in 

 the white of the weasels, that proved so advan- 

 tageous to them, has been the cause of their 

 greatest slaughter ; for men took a fancy to the 

 dainty ermine fur, and countless numbers have 

 been killed to satisfy the demand. 



So Nature provided the Arctic seals with beau- 

 tiful close, soft fur, but human animals were 

 not anticipated, who would kill them to the last 

 pup and pelt for this gift of Mother Nature to 

 her four-footed children. Birds of such delight- 

 ful plumage that millions of years have been 

 covered while natural forces were at work per- 

 fecting them ; but man comes on the scene, 

 exclaims, " This is all mine ! " and, the primitive 



