The most interesting of the day's experiences 
A Weasel 
river 
at night 
remains to he told. I was paddling past the swimming place 
on my way home, keeping the middle of the river (here about 
200 feet wide) where a long, narrow belt of wind-ruffled 
water was still faintly silvered by the light in the western 
sky, when a small, long, dusky form shot directly across 
my bows, then turned short about and started back towards 
the south shore. I whirled the canoe around and followed 
but although I exerted myself to the utmost I did not at 
first seem to gain much on the mysterious little creature which 
skimmed over, rather than cleft through, the water and at 
a rate of speed which amazed me. Indeed, I thought at 
first it must be a crippled Bird or Bat but there was no 
flapping of wings and very little "wake". *#"The pace told on 
it at length and just as it had almost gained the shore 
I got sufficiently near to deal it a hurried blow with the 
paddle when instantly to my nostrils ca_me the unmistakable 
foetid odor of a Weasel. It proved to belong to our smaller 
species,as I made out to my entire satisfaction a moment 
later when, after recovering partially from my blow, it 
climbed out on a lily pad and faced me at barely arm's length. 
I teased it a little to see if it could be made to dive, 
which it would not do, and then left it to make the best of 
its way to land, which it accomplished with much noisy 
plashing before I was out of hearing. Poor thing! I was 
* 
sorry to have used it so roughly, but there was no other way 
of finding out what it was. 
