THE WEASEL 



in his white suit or in his brown, gliding 

 with lithe, almost snake-like movement 

 along the lower fence rails, going forth 

 hunting or bearing home his game, a 

 bird or a fat field-mouse. In a cranny of 

 an old lichen-scaled stone wall you may 

 see his bright eyes gleaming out of the 

 darkness, like dewdrops caught in a 

 spider's web, and then the brown head 

 thrust cautiously forth to peer curiously 

 at you. Then he may favor you with 

 the exhibition of an acrobatic feat : his 

 hinder paws being on the ground in the 

 position of standing, he twists his slender 

 body so that his forepaws are placed in 

 just the reverse position on the stone or 

 rail above him, and he looks upward and 

 backward. 



He may be induced to favor you with 

 intimate and familiar acquaintance, to 

 take bits of meat from your hand and 

 even to climb to your lap and search 

 your pockets and suffer you to lay a 

 gentle hand upon him, but he has sharp 

 teeth wherewith to resent too great lib- 

 erties. 



While he may be almost a pet of a 

 household and quite a welcome visitor of 

 261 



