The Common Weasel. 457 



yards over the fresh, fallen snow, beneath which it was concealed, 

 and the snow tightly pressed over it ; the little prowler displaying 

 thereby a habit of which we became aware for the first time on 

 that occasion. To avoid a dog that was in close pursuit it mounted 

 a tree and laid itself flat on a limb about twenty feet from the 

 ground, from which it was finally shot. We have ascertained by 

 successful experiments, repeated more than a iiundred times, that 

 the Ermine can be employed, in the manner of tbe ferret of 

 Europe, .in diiving our American rabbit from the borrow inta 

 which it has retreated. In one instance, the Ermine employed 

 had been captured only a few days before, and its canine teeth 

 were filed in order to prevent its destroying the rabbit ; a cord 

 was placed around its neck to secure its return. It pursued the 

 hare through all the vi'indings of its burrow and forced it to the 

 mouth, where it could be taken in a net, or by the hand. In 

 winter, after a snow storm, the ruffed grouse has a habit of plung- 

 ing into the loose snow, where it remains at times for one or two 

 days. In this passive state the Ermine sometimes detects and 

 destroys it. In an unsuccessful attempt at domesticating this 

 grouse by fastening its feet to a board in the mode adopted with 

 the stool pigeon, and placing it high on a shelf, an Ermine which 

 we had kept as a pet, found its way by the curtains of the window 

 and put an end to our experiment by eating off the head of our 

 grouse." 



" Nothwithstanding all these mischievous and destructive habits, 

 it is doubtful whether the Ermine is not rather a benefactor than 

 an enemy to the farmer, ridding his granaries and fields of many 

 depredators on the product of his labour, that would devour ten 

 times the value of the poultry and eggs which, at long and uncer- 

 tain intervals, it occasionally destroys. A mission appears to have 

 been assigned it by Providence to lessen the rapidly multiplying 

 number of mice of various species and the smaller rodentia." 



" The white-footed mouse is destructive to the grains in the 

 wheat fields and in the stacks, as well as the nurseries of fruit 

 trees. LeConte's pine-mouse is injurious to the Irish and sweet 

 potato crops, causing more to rot by nibbling holes into them 

 that it consumes, and Wilson's meadow- mouse lessens our annual 

 product of hay by feeding on the grasses, and by its long and 

 tortuous galleries among their roots. 



" Wherever an Ermine has taken up his residence, the mice in 

 its vicinity for half a mile round have been found rapidly to dimi- 



