LITTLE BEASTS OF FIELD AND WOOD 



Minnesota or thereabouts ; but Thoreau, under 

 date of February 22, 1855, writes: 



" T. Farmer showed me an ermine weasel he 

 caught in a trap three or four weeks ago. 



" They are not very uncommon about his 

 barns. AU white but the tip of the tail. Two 

 conspicuous canine teeth in each jaw. 



" In summer they are distinguished from the red 

 weasel, which is a little smaller, by the length of 

 their tails, particularly, six or more inches, while 

 the red ones are not more than two inches long." 



Now this description, especially as regards the 

 conspicuous canine teeth in each jaw, and the 

 length of the tail, applies perfectly to the long- 

 tailed weasel and not to the ermine, the length of 

 whose tail is invariably given as three or four 

 inches. Still it seems hardly likely that this 

 family of weasels should have inhabited this part 

 of New England all these years without having 

 been catalogued before ; but one hardly knows 

 what else to think under the circumstances. 



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