65 
The Ermine's Spots. 
because they eat so much: which after the same manner happens not 
onely in Norway, but in the foresaid Helsingia, and provinces that are 
near to it in the diocess of Upsal, namely, that small beasts with four 
feet, that they call lemmar, or lemmus [Norwegian rat or lemming], as 
big as a rat, with a skin diverse coloured, fall out of the ayr in tempests, 
and sudden showres; but no man knows from whence they come, 
whether from the remoter islands, and are brought hither by the wind, 
or else they breed of seculent matter in the clouds : yet this is proved, 
that so soon as they fall down, there is found green grass in bheir bellies 
not yet digested. These, like locusts, falling in great swarms, destroy 
all green things, and all dyes they bite on, by the venome of them. 
This swarm lives so long as they feed on no new grass : also they come 
together in troops like swallowes that are ready to fly away; but at 
the set-time they either dye in heaps, with a contagion of the earth, or 
they are devoured by beasts, called commonly lekat, or hermelin, and 
these ermins grow fat thereby, and their skins grow longer. And these 
skins also are sold by tens, especially fourty in a bundle, as sabel, or 
martins, fox, beaver, squirrel, or hares skins are, and are carryed forth 
by shipping into far distant countries.” (Page 185.) 
The ermine, in its brown summer coat, was called the 
rosetel. The English stoat is called in Norfolk the 
lobster. In his account of English dogs Dr. Caius tells 
us that harriers were trained to hunt, besides the hare 
and the fox, the polecat, lobster, and weasel. 
Some poets of the time were wont to imagine that the 
spotted appearance of the ermine’s fur was natural, but 
this ignorance was possibly feigned for the sake of the 
illustration. Greene says :— 
“ The manners and the fashions of this age 
Are like the ermine’s skin so full of spots.” 
(James IV.') 
And Randolph informs us that— 
“ Nature adorns 
The peacock’s tail with stars ; ’tis she attires 
The bird of Paradise in all her plumes ; 
She decks the fields with various flowers; ’tis she 
Spangled the heavens with all those glorious lights 
She spotted the ermin’s skin ; and arm’d the fish 
In silver mail.” 
(The Muse’s Looking-Glass , iv. 1.) 
F 
