78 POLECAT. Clafs L 



of walls with greata gility, and fpring with vaft force : 

 in running, the belly feems to touch the ground : in 

 preparing to jump, it arches its back, which affifts it 

 greatly in that action. 



The ears r.re fhort, rounded and tipt with white : 

 the circumference of the mouth, that is to fay, the 

 the ends of the lower and upper mandibles are white : 

 the head, legs and thighs, are wholly of a deep cho- 

 colate color, almofl; black. The fides are covered 

 with hairs of two colors •, the ends of which are of a 

 blackifn hue, like the other parts ; the middle of a 

 full tawny color. 



The toes are long, and feparated to the very origin : 

 the tail is covered with pretty long hair. 



The Polecat is very defrrudlive to young game of 

 all kinds j and to poultry : they generally refide in 

 woods, or thick brakes -, burroughing under ground, 

 forming a (liailow retreat, about two yards in length; 

 v/hich commonly ends, for its fecurity, among the 

 roots of fome large trees : it will fometimes lodge un- 

 der hay-ricks, and in barns : in the winter it fre- 

 quents hcufes, and makes a common pradice of 

 robbing the dairy of the milk : it alfo makes great 

 havoke in warrens. 



It will bring five or fix at a time ; warreners alTert, 

 that the Polecat wiil mix with the ferret, and they 

 are fometimes obliged to procure an intercourfe be- 

 tween thefe animals to improve the breed of the latter, 

 which by long confinement, wiil abate its favage na- 

 ture ', and become lefs eager after rabbets, and con- 

 fequently lefs ufeful, M. de Buffon denies that it will 

 admit the polecat ; yet gives the figure of a variety 



ynder 



