128 FAMILIAR LIFE IN FIELD AND FOREST. 



celebrated chicken-killer who has done his best ! It 

 altogether depends upon what he happens to have 

 done whether we shall consider him as a friend or 

 a foe. 



Now, the next relatives of the martens are the 

 little and larger weasels, the latter being the most 

 bloodthirsty little rascal, taking size into considera- 

 tion, of all animal creation. This seems a sweeping 

 assertion, but I shall presently gather together suflB- 

 cient data to establish the charge beyond refutation. 



The little brown weasel {Putorius * cicognani — 

 Putorius vulgaris^ of Merriam) is a long-bodied ani- 

 mal scarcely larger than a rat. He lives along water 

 courses, in swamps, and under rocky ledges, and his 

 prey comprises a variety of small creatures, such as 

 mice, moles, birds and their eggs, insects, and frogs. 

 He is reputed to be an enemy of chickens, but there 

 is no doubt whatever that some confusion exists be- 

 tween him and the larger weasel in the minds of the 

 farmers. The latter is really the destroyer who en- 

 ters the poultry yard, and not the little brown weasel. 



The following are the principal points of distinc- 

 tion between the two species : 



Little brown weasel [Putorius cicognani) ; length 

 of body without tail, six to eight inches ; tail short, 



* Prom the Latin putor, a stench, in allusion to the putrid 

 odor of some members of the genus. 



