6o 



MAMMALIA. 



And in another place Mr. Kennicott tells us that an Ermine "de- 

 stroyed nearly fifty chickens, several of which were adults and many 

 half grown, in a single night, and the early part of the following even- 

 ing; and it was so bold as to kill several young chickens in a coop 

 beside which a man was standing, watching for it. I finally shot it 

 while it was running near me in pursuit of a chicken, though a few 

 minutes before we had chased it into a retreat under a haystack* 

 This extreme boldness could not have been the result of hunger, as it 

 had already, during the same evening, killed a large number of fowls.' "^ 



Their nests are usually made in an old stump or log-heap, or under 

 some outbuilding, and from four to six young are commonly brought 

 forth early in May. The young are apt to remain during the summer 

 in the vicinity of the nest. 



The Ermine as a Fej-rct. 



That the Ermine can be successfully employed as a Ferret is amply 

 proven by the following narrative, from the pen of Dr. John Bachman: 

 " Whilst residing in the State of New York many years ago, we were 

 desirous of preserving a number of rabbits during the winter from the 

 excessive cold and from the hands of the hunters, who killed so many 

 that we feared the race would be nearly extirpated in our neighbor- 

 hood; our design being to set them at liberty in the spring. At this 

 period we had in confinement several Weasels of two species exist- 

 ing in that part of the country. . . . 



"We bethought ourselves of using one of each species of these 

 Weasels instead of a Ferret, to aid in taking the rabbits we wanted, and 

 having provided ourselves with a man and a dog to hunt the rabbits 

 to their holes, we took the Weasels in a small tin box with us, having 

 first tied a small cord around their necks in such a manner as to pre- 

 vent them from escaping, or remaining in the holes to eat the rabbits, 

 whilst it could not slip and choke them. 



*Ibid., 1858, p. 244. 



