ANIMALS. 



339 



seldom overcome them ; and when they cannot es- 

 cape, they will attack the hunter with great rage. 

 The colour of this cinimal is black, and its fur is 

 much esteemed. The otter forinerly abounded very 

 much in our creeks, and rivers ; and especially in 

 those, which emptied themselves into Lake Cham- 

 plain : on this account one of them still bears the 

 name of Otter creek }) but the animal has now be- 

 come scarce. The largest otter of v/hich I have a 

 particular account, weighed twenty-nine pounds and 

 an half. 



The ei^mine is the most beautiful quadruped which 

 is seen in our woods. -In its form, dimensions, acti- 

 vity and fecundity, it resembles the weasel, but is ra- 

 ther larger; one of them weighed fourteen ounces. 

 Its colour is a beautiful wiiite : the tail is tipped with 

 a beautiful black. Some of these animals have a 

 stripe of a dark brown or mouse colour, extending 

 along the back, from the head to the tail ; the other 

 parts being perfectly white. This little, brisk, hght 

 mid beautiful animal, has the most fine and delicate 

 fur that can be imagined ; and the animal itself is 

 one of the greatest beauties of nature.* 



Dipus jerboa. This curious little quadruped 

 was first discovered by Dr. Barton in 1795, near 

 Philadelphia. It belongs to the order of glires. It is 

 about the size of a common house mouse, and 

 weighed 9 clwt, and 22 gr, soon after the death of the 

 animal and before the bowels were takenout. Like all 

 the other species of dipus, this is furnished with two 

 dcntes primores or cutting teeth, in each jaw* 



* Williams's Vermont, 



