THE WEASEL. 
I AMBLING about Epping P'orest, I have on several 
occasions come across the weasel, but generally I have 
had nothing more than a passing glance. As I am 
now the happy possessor of a live male specimen, I have had 
a better opportunity of studying it more closely. He was 
captured June 20th, Accession Day, and so I gave him the name 
of “ Vic.” As he was then in his youth, being about half his 
mature size, it was perfectly safe to handle him, and so for the 
first and only time I took him in my hand, as I have never dared 
to take such a liberty since. For his reception I hastily con- 
structed temporary quarters of wood and perforated zinc with 
glass frontage, the dimensions being thirty inches long and ten 
inches wide, and the same deep. As this proved to be incon- 
veniently small, I soon made him a larger dwelling on the same 
plan, but of increased proportions in each direction ; and still I 
was not satisfied, as it was far too small to give scope to the 
wonderful activity of my little captive, and so I have now built 
him a third and permanent residence which is quite noble in 
proportions, being four feet long, the same in depth, andone-and- 
a-half feet wide, having a sleeping compartment near the roof 
approached by a ladder of four steps and the whole frontage being 
of glass, and so my little friend is now apparently very happy. 
The whole upper part of his body, including the tail and 
legs, is reddish-brown, and underneath, from the chin to the root 
of the tail, is pure white, and his short legs are covered with 
hair to the end of the toe-nails. As I always keep him provided 
with plenty of clean straw, I do not find him by any means an 
offensive animal. His sleeping compartment I also keep crammed 
full of straw, but however much I may put in he will wriggle 
through it with ease. During the day he sleeps about half the 
time, and seems to take a special delight in reposing in every 
conceivable attitude it is possible to twist his serpentine body 
into. I believe he sleeps through most of the night, as I have 
seldom seen him about after dark ; when awake he is full of 
activity and scarcely ever still for a single moment. For rapidity, 
combined with grace of movement, I should imagine he is unsur- 
passed by any other animal ; he will rush about with lightning 
speed, performing a A^ariety of gymnastic performances on the 
horizontal bars placed for that purpose, of which he makes free 
use. He will turn with ease in a space no wider than his own 
body. At times he will dance about in high glee, evidently on 
very good terms with himself. There are two distinct sounds 
which he utters, one a kind of whistle which is a sign of pleasure, 
the other somewhat like the squeak of a mouse as if in pain, but 
which is not often heard. 
Being entirely carnivorous, I have to provide him with fresh 
meat, which consists mainly of raw beef or mutton, varied with 
