longley] A STRANGE PET 215 



make little lunges, sticking out his head at unexpected quarters. 

 When he was discovered, back would go the little nose, and in 

 short order out it would pop on another side quite in the manner 

 of the old song. 



Besides the expression of affection, the weasel had several ways 

 of showing his feelings. At the time of his capture he emitted 

 an odor painfully suggestive of an unsavory family connection, 

 thereby producing consternation alike in the hearts of his captors 

 and of the white rats who chanced to be his neighbors in the 

 nature room. This was the terror signal and occured only when 

 he was startled, not more than half a dozen times during our three 

 months' acquaintance. Contrary to one authority that I read, I 

 can testify that this odor was not prevalent in hot weather. 



The fighting instinct found expression in the shrill metallic 

 bark which accompanied his lunges at a supposed enemy. Gradu- 

 ally the barking became a thing of the past. His most pleasing 

 communication was a little quizzical, throaty sound, half growl, 

 half purr, which denoted a slightly perturbed state of feeling. 

 These sounds with the crying at the approach of his nocturnal 

 visitor are, to my knowledge, the sum total of weasel language. 

 But with "Mr. Weasel" as perhaps with greater geniuses, oral 

 communication was merely an outward expression of an inward 

 unrest, and with peace of mind he lapsed into sympathetic silence. 



My bed is on a sleeping porch, and the most convenient place 

 for my pet's home was the other end of that porch, so I had excep- 

 tional opportunities for observing his daily habits. His bed of 

 excelsior had to be carefully put into place with his nose and paws 

 before he retired for the night, but he was always grateful for a 

 little assistance from my willing hands. When he had occasion 

 to leave his bed, he always jumped out carefully so as not to spoil 

 its arrangement. He got up regularly early in the morning, 

 scratched and stretched himself, took a drink and made ready for 

 the day. Then he would get back into his nest for a general 

 toilet. His pretty fur, brown on the back and yellow underneath, 

 with black markings on the face and a black tip to the tail, was 

 always kept in immaculate condition, and his slender, sinuous 

 body, long tail, rat-like head and shining dark eyes presented an 

 attractive appearance after one had become accustomed to weasel 

 standards of beauty. His personal habits were as particular as 

 was compatible with his confined life, and his bed and the adjacent 



