WEASELS 



Still, these casualties among weasels are probably 

 few and far between. Fortunately, however, they 

 never increase to any great extent. Occasionally 

 in the winter the snow for miles will be covered 

 with their tracks, all made in a single night, and 

 then for weeks not a track is to be seen ; but 

 usually they prefer to hunt alone, each having 

 its beat, a mile or more in length, over which it 

 travels back and forth throughout the season, 

 passing any given point at intervals of two or 

 three days. This habit of keeping to the same 

 route instead of wandering at random about the 

 woods is characteristic of the family, the length 

 of the route depending to a certain extent on the 

 size of the animal. The mink is usually about 

 a week in going his rounds, and may cover a 

 dozen miles in that time, while the otter is gen- 

 erally gone a fortnight or three weeks. When 

 it is possible, the ermine prefers to follow the 

 course of old tumble-down stone walls, and lays 

 its course accordingly. In favourable districts he 



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