170 
PASSIONAL ZOOLOGY. 
like the weasel over the rabbit; because the idle have always on 
their side religious tradition, the law, and the armed police. 
Besides the stupidity of those hares and rabbits who would think 
themselves damned for once fairly revolting against the blood- 
thirsty tyranny of the weasels and the skunks, admire in the same, 
the disposition to turn against their own blood — against their 
brothers in suffering — the formidable incisors which they dare not 
use in defense of their rights ! Striking image of the folly of that 
brave French people, and that brave English people, who, instead 
of coming to an understanding with each other, and assisting each 
other to get rid of the moneyed aristocracy which grinds and 
bleeds them, take a pride in insulting each other, and in cutting 
each other’s throats for the greater benefit of this aristocracy. 
The ermines, which only attach infant animals, and which wear 
a white fur, symbolize the hypocritical professors of false moral- 
ity, the Rodins, the Tartuffes, who dress in the robe of chastity and 
of innocence, to introduce themselves into families and to perfect 
the manners of youth. 
The blackness of the intentions of the ermines is betrayed by 
the color of the brush of hair which they wear at the end of their 
tails. We may, besides, remark that the professors of law and 
the doctors of most of the civilized sciences, who are only fit to 
corrupt youth, show themselves very fond of the fur of the er- 
mine. 
The white ermine is rare ; I have never seen more than a dozen 
of them, and killed only five or six during my career of twenty-five 
years as a hunter. The ermine wears a brown fur during the fine 
season, and puts on its white pelisse only when the cold is severe. 
The ermine fur, brought from the north like the sable, was formerly 
precious, and reserved for the aristocracy. Mantles were made 
from it for the peers of France, for ladies of rank, and high digni- 
taries of the state. Since the great nobles have sold their armorial 
bearings to make shop signs for merchants, since high dignitaries 
are condemned for pillage and peculation, since dukes and peers 
murder their wives as well as mere citizens, the ermine has fallen to 
a low price ; you may have as many of them as you will at twenty- 
five cents apiece. 
