332 THE COMMON WEESEL. 



springs over every body to come at me. His play 

 with me is the most lively and caressing ; with his 

 two little paws he pats me on th6 chin, with an air 

 and manner expressive of cleHght. This, and a 

 thousand other preferences, shew that his attachment 

 'to me is real. Vv^hen he sees me dressed for going 

 out, he will not leave me, and it is not without 

 some trouble that I can disengage myself from 

 him ; he then hides himself behind a cabinet near 

 the door, and jumps upon mc as I pass, with so 

 liiuch celerity that I often can scarcely perceive him. 

 " He seems to resemble a Squirrel in vivacity, agi- 

 lity, voice, and his manner of murmuring. During 

 the summer, he squeaks and runs about all night 

 long ; but since the commencement of the cold 

 Vv^eather, I have not observed this. Sometimes, 

 when the sun shines while he is playing on the bed, 

 he turns and tum.bles about and murmurs for a while. 

 " From his delight in drinking milk out of my 

 hand, into which I pour a very Utile at a time, and 

 his custom of sipping- the little drops and edges of 

 the fluid, it seems probable that he drinks dew in. 

 the same manner. He very seldom drinks water, 

 and then only for want of rni'k ; and with great cau- 

 tion, seeming only to refresh his tongue once or 

 twice, and to be even afraid of that fluid. During 

 1 he hot weather, it rained a good deal. I present- 

 ed to him some rain water in dish, and endeavoured 

 to make him vo into it, but could not succeed. I 

 then wetted a piece of linen cloth in it, and put it 

 near him ; when he rolled upon it v;ith extreme de- 

 hght. 



