Length of the head and body
head: ~
_ >j tail (vertebrae) .
i> }> including hair
Dimensions
Of an old female killed at Carlton House.
Inches. lines.
Height of . the ear ... ■; .'
From tip of the nose to the anterior point'
of theorbit . . .
' 2
6
The Weasels of the fur countries become white in winter like the Ermine, and
are not distinguished from them by the traders.
[ 1 5 . ] 2 . M u s t e l a ( P u t o r iu s ) e r m in e a . ( L i n . G m e l . )
The Ermine, or Stoat.
Mustek:erminea. Lin . Gmeein., i. p. 98.
Stoat-weasel. Pennant, Arctic Zool., ii, p •ja
“ tv °Ty-i AaP™P* P*^y4. IjYON s Private Journal, pp. 82—-107.. P aery’s peconit-
Seegbos and Siaooosiew. Cbee India» . Terreeya. Esaratlux.
This well-known and very handsome little animal' is a common inhabitant of
America, from its most northern limits to the middle districts of the United States;
and many specimens, both in the brown winter and white summer fur, were
brought home by the late expeditions of discovery. It is a bold animal, and often
domesticates itself in the habitation» of the fur traders, where it may be heard'
tfie livelong night pursuing the white-footed mouse (Mm leucopits> Captain
Lyon mentions his having seen an ermine hunt the footsteps of mice, like a hound
after a fox, and he also describes their mode of burrowing in the snow. “ I
now observed,” says he, I a curious kind of burrow,, made by the ermines, which!
was pushed up in the same manner as the tracks of moles through the earth in.
England. These passages run in a serpentine direction, and near the hole or
dwelling-place the circles are multiplied, as if to render the approach more
m ncate. The same lively writer relates the manners of a captive ermine as
. ows . He was a fierce little fellow, and the instant he obtained day-light in
his new dwelling, he flew at the bars,-and shook them with the greatest fury,
uttering- a very shrill passionate cry, and emitting the strong musky smell which I
formerly noticed. No threats or teasing could induce him to retire to the sleeping
place, and whenever he did so of his own accord, the slightest rubbing on the bars
was sufficient to bring him out to the attack of his tormentors. He soon took food
from the hand, but not until he had first used every exertion to reach and bite the
fingers which conveyed it. This boldness gave me great hopes of being able to
keep my little captive alive through the winter, but he was killed by an accident.”
According to Indian report, the ermine brings forth ten or twelve young at a
time. In the time of Charlevoix, ermine-skins formed part of the menues pelletries
exported from Canada; but their value at present is so little, that they do not
repay the Hudson’s Bay Company the expense of collecting; hence very few are
brought to England from that quarter.
DESCRIPTION.
The ermine has a convex nose and forehead, a long slender body, and long cylindrical tail,
with short and rather stout limbs.. Its ears are low and rounded, and go more than half
round the auditory opening. They are proportionately higher than the ears of the common
weasel. In the winter time the fur in some specimens is of a pure white colour throughout,
except on the end-of the tail, which, together with a few of the anterior whiskers, are black.
In other specimens there is a bright primrose-yellow tinge on the belly, the posterior part of
the back, or the tail. The feet in the winter are clothed with hair on the soles, which projects
so as to conceal the claws. In the summer the soles are nearly naked, and the fur on the
upper parts resembles that of the common weasel in colour.
Dimensions
Of a specimen killed at Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake.
Length of head and body
à Inches.
* 11 0 !| Length, of'head . .» ,
Inches.
2 3
, , tail (vertebrae) . 4 0 Height of ear • o H
„ ■ ,, including fur . 5 o 1 Distance between orbit and end ofnose 0 6
In the neighbourhood of Carlton House there is a variety
tail and longer fore-claws.
Dimensions.
Length of head and body
,, tail (vertebrae)
a -ft including fur
of a larger size* having a longer
Inches. lanes.
12 0
5 4
6 6