62 
Quadrupeds. 
THE ERMINE. (Mustela erminea.) 
Tins, which is also called the Stoat, is a smaller species 
than the Polecat, and is less common in England than 
the latter, although in Scotland it is tolerably abun- 
dant. Its colour in summer, is reddish brown on the 
back and white underneath ; but in winter the whole 
of the fur becomes pure white, except on the tail, which 
is always black, and it is in this state that the fur of the 
Ermine is so highly esteemed. In the North of Europe, 
Siberia, and the most northern parts of America, Er- 
mines are found in immense numbers, and great quan- 
tities of them are killed for the sake of their skins, 
of which several hundred thousand are annually ex- 
ported from those inclement northern regions, to serve 
for the adornment of ladies dress, and of the state robes 
of peers and other high dignitaries, in more civilized 
countries. The pure white skin adorned with the jet 
black tails of the little animals, is indeed one of the 
most elegant of all furs ; but from the immense quantities 
in which the skins are imported, they have become so 
cheap that ermine can no longer be regarded as a fashion- 
able fur, and it is chiefly employed for those purposes to 
which custom has, in a maimer, consecrated its use. 
Like the Polecat, and others of its kind, the Ermine 
