Quintet 233 



the canoehouse for mice and rats, the two dogs bark and at- 

 tract the owner's attention. 



Accounted the most bloodthirsty of the local mammals, 

 it has few traits which appeal to people. It is a killer of mice 

 and birds, with the former probably furnishing the greatest 

 number of victims. Powerful neck and shoulders, long sharp 

 teeth, quickness, and courage make the weasel able and 

 willing to tackle and vanquish any prey which it meets. 

 I have not seen it kill in the marsh, but the cries of terrified 

 creatures in the mountain rock slides, and the appearance 

 of a weasel soon afterward, have taught me much of its 

 power and domination over animals, which sometimes ex- 

 ceed it in size. Authorities have estimated that the weasel 

 eats over twice its weight a week. If a man consumed a com- 

 parable poundage in lamb chops, he would have to be as 

 busy as this slim, tireless, and fearless creature because, at 

 present prices, it would require between two and three hun- 

 dred dollars a week to pay the butcher, a formidable job 

 even at overtime rates. There seems to be some evidence that 

 the weasel stores some food for future requirements. A few 

 burrows, when opened for examination, have been found to 

 contain unconsumed small rodents. 



I have always suspected that the weasel has more ene- 

 mies than the mink. Its smaller size brings it within the 

 predatory capabilities of many more birds and mammals. It 

 is probably a regular part of the food of the mink. Its posi- 

 tion in the food chain is intermediate. 



Here in the marsh the habits of this creature cannot be 

 said to be especially harmful. Although it lives by predation 

 there are no poultry yards to be raided, and the greater part 

 of its activities are probably directed toward the smaller 

 rodents which far outnumber its other possible prey. Its com- 

 petition with the rest of the quintet may be assumed to be 

 small, for it does not take the larger birds attacked by the 

 mink and seldom enters the water for prey. Locally, it there- 



