WEASELS 



the snow was quite as large as that made by a 

 small mink, but the footprints themselves were 

 smaller, and the creature appeared to avoid the 

 water in a manner quite at variance with the well- 

 known habits of its more amphibious cousin, 

 while, unlike the common weasel, it never fol- 

 lowed stone walls or fences. I put my entire 

 mind to the capture of the little beast, and set 

 dozens of traps, but it was well along in the 

 month of March before I succeeded. It proved 

 to be a typical specimen of the Western long- 

 tailed weasel, though I can find no account of any 

 other having been taken east of the Mississippi. 

 Its entire length was about eighteen inches ; the 

 tail, which was a little over six, gave the effect 

 at first glance of being tipped with gray instead 

 of black, but a closer inspection showed that the 

 black hairs were confined to the very extremity 

 and were partly concealed by the overlying white 

 ones ; the rest of the fur was white, with a slight 

 reddish tinge, and much longer and coarser than 



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