52 IN THE ACADIAN LAND. 



savage that he is, kills the most beautiful birds 

 to make a head-dress for himself and a girdle 

 for his swarthy mate ; and although many, 

 many thousands of years have passed away 

 since then, still the finest feathered gems are 

 sacrificed to the lingering love of ornament and 

 display. 



But we will not forget my weasel ! I am 

 bound to confess, despite his pure, innocent 

 matching of the " beautiful snow," that he is 

 far from attractive. There is something serpent- 

 like in his aspect and general make-up. His 

 flat, triangular, rattlesnake head, almost de- 

 formed by great jaw muscles, is set on his long 

 neck with a vicious cant like a hoe on a handle ; 

 his beady black eyes seem so eager and wakeful 

 that one may well believe that it would be hard 

 " to catch a weasel asleep." There is nothing 

 frolicsome and prankish in his appearance. 

 Keen, inquisitive, restless, bloodthirsty, cruel, 

 courageous, these describe his leading character- 

 istics. He is a creature of solitary habits, pre- 

 fers his own company to any other, and shares 

 neither his luck nor his misery with another. 

 No other animal of its size is possessed of such 

 audacious pluck. They will seize a rabbit, or 

 partridge, or hen, and overmaster them in many 

 instances. When it comes to eating they pre- 



