and about the fame time, the French brought into the port of Rochelle from Canada, not less than 30,325.

The principal differences between this and the former kind, confift in the fize, this being lefs: the breaft too is yellow; the color of the body much darker, and the fur in general greatly fuperior in fineness, beauty, and value.

T

HIS fpecies is the left of the weesel kind; the length of the head and body not exceeding fix, or at most seven inches. The tail is only two inches and a half long, and ends in a point: the ears are large; and the lower parts of them are doubled in.

The whole upper part of the body, the head, tail, legs, and feet are of a very pale tawny brown. The whole under fide of the body from the chin to the tail is white; but beneath the corners of the mouth on each jaw is a spot of brown.

DESCRIP

COLOR.

PREY,

This, like the rest of the kind, is very destructive to young birds, poultry, and young rabbets; and besides is a great devourer of eggs. It does not eat its prey on the place; but after killing it, by one bite near the head, carries it off to its young, or its retreat. The weefel also preys upon moles, as appears by their being fometimes caught in the mole-traps. It is a remarkably active animal, and will run up the fides of walls with fuch facility, that scarce any place is fecure from it; and its body is fo fmall, that there is scarce any hole but what is pervious to it. This fpecies is much more domestic than the others; frequenting out-houfes, barns, and granaries; where, to make as it were fome atonement for its depredations among our tame fowl, it foon clears its haunts from rats and mice, being infinitely more an enemy to them than the cat itfelf. It brings five or fix young at a time: its skin and excrements are most intolerably fœtid.

This animal is confounded by Linnæus with the Stoat or Ermine. He seems unacquainted with our weefel in its brown color; but defcribes it in the white ftate under the title of Snomus, or Mustela nivalis*. I have met with it in that circumftance, in the ifle of Ilay.

* Similima Ermineo fed dimidio minor, cauda apice pilo vix uno alterove albo. Faun. Suec. No. 18. Syft. Nat. 69.

Muftela

THE

HE length of the float to the origin of the tail, is ten inches : that of the tail is five inches and a half. The colors bear fo near a resemblance to thofe of the weefel, as to cause them to be confounded together by the generality of common obfervers; the weefel being usually mistaken for a fmall ftoat: but thefe animals have evident and invariable specific differences, by which they may be easily known. Firft, by the fize; the weefel being ever less than the ftoat; fecondly, the tail of the latter is always tipt with black, is longer in proportion to the bulk of the animal, and more hairy; whereas the tail of the weefel is fhorter, and of the fame color with the body: thirdly, the edges of the ears, and the ends of the toes in this animal, are of a yellowish white. It may be added, that the ftoat haunts woods, hedges and meadows; especially where there are broeks, whofe fides are covered with small bushes ; and sometimes (but lefs frequently than the weefel) inhabits barns, and other buildings.

VOL. I.

M

In

DESCRIP.

ERMINES.

How TA

KEN.

In the most northern parts of Europe, these animals regularly change their color in winter; and become totally white, except the end of the tail, which continues invariably black; and in that state are called Ermines: I am informed that the fame is obferved in the highlands of Scotland. The fkins and tails are a very valuable article of commerce in Norway, Lapland, Ruffia, and other cold countries; where they are found in prodigious numbers. They are also very common in Kamtfchatka and Siberia*. In Siberia they burrow in the fields, and are taken in traps baited with flesh. In Norway they are either fhot with blunt arrows, or taken in traps made of two flat ftones, one being propped up with a stick, to which is faftned a baited ftring, which when the animals nibble, the stone falls down and crufhes them to death. The Laplanders take them in the fame manner, only instead of stones make use of two logs of wood. The stoat is fometimes found white in GreatBritain, but not frequently: and then it is called a white weefel. That animal is alfo found white; but may be easily distinguished from the other in the ermine state, by the tail, which in the weefel is of a light tawny brown. With us the former is observed to begin to change its color from brown to white in November, and to begin to refume the brown the beginning of March.

The natural history of this creature is much the fame with that of the weefel, its food being birds, rabbets, mice, &c. its agility the fame, and its fcent equally fetid: it is much more common in England than that animal.