6G9 
head were quite white, and white hairs were appearing all over the 
body, especially on the flanks. This change of colour in the 
Weasel appears to be very rare. Mr. Cordeaux detected a Weasel 
carrying off a full-grown frog, food apparently more suitable for the 
Polecat than this s])ecies. 
15. Mustela erminea (Linn.). Ermine, Stoat. 
Ihe mild winter of 1872 — 3 was remarkable for the number of 
white, or partially Avhite, Stoats, which found their way to the 
Jsorwich hirdstuffers. Ihe Avinter of 1873 — 4 A\’as also remarkably 
mild, hut quite a number of AA’hitc Stoats AA'cre killed, some as late 
as the month of March. ^Ir. Gurney states, that in the AA’inter of 
1878, ho saAv at the three principal bird-stuffers’ in XorAvich, six 
Stoats, in Avhich the ermine dre.ss av;is completel}’^ assumed, and 
tAventy-one others in Avhich the change Avas partial, though in 
several cases nearly complete. In a birdstuffer’s room, at 
Ihetford, in 1882, I counted forty-one Avhite, or nearly Avhito, 
Stoats, not all killed in one year, but he assured me they Avero onlv 
a fair accumulation in the Avay of his business. The change of 
colour in this species does not appear to depend upon the severity 
of the Aveather to such a degree as is generally believed, and Avherc 
it does occur in snoAA'less Aveather the Avhito Stoat forms a very 
conspicuous object, much to its disadvantage. 
16. Mustela tutoria (Linn.). Polecat. 
This animal is rapidly becoming very rare in Xorfolk. In the 
account of vermin killed in Suffolk in 1811, thirty-one Polecats 
and four hundred and sixteen Stoats arc mentioned. 
17. Lutra vulgaris (Erxl.). Otter. 
This animal is still abundant in Xorfolk, its great stronghold 
being the “ Broad, s,” whence it strays to all the streams in the 
county. With us it is decidedly a Avinter breeder, and the usual 
number of young is tAvo or three ; only once out of the many 
instances in AAduch I could satisfoctorily ascertain the number 
of young have I known four produced. Thirty-seven pounds 
IS the greatest weight I have known it to attain here. For an 
account of its mode of existing in the Broads, see Trans. Xorfolk 
and XorAvich Xat. Soc. vol. i. (1872-3), p. 79; also vol. iii 
(1877), p. 172. 
