Sharp County record., 1881-08-04
About the Weasel.

~, the
The weasel is sone of the preH. gri
most graceful little creature, ey
be imagined. 1t lives in all en- god
tries and makes its home h so5
trees, in stone heaps, Or in any Z M \
lent hole where it can find s6et
is no larger than good.sizeJr . yS W
has longer legs. 1t has lo5i al
slender body, long neck and raj
little head, with small round ., yviH ywiH
bright eyes. 1t is covered with ne 4
sleek hair, of a brown cor std
back and white below. 1t h, I'd
whiSkers on its nose, and avr $, Sc
tail. Its weapons are its strCp sid sid
and sharp teeth, which it know, cou
use so well that many larger h 1T o9
live in constant terror of thish hi
wicked little marauder. The
itself has very few enemies 7, d11 d1
powerful birds of prev, which yund
on the alert for rabbits and Otbp. IN "
game, rarely swoop down on h V
sci, for although they can essli o y y
it away in their strong talons, 7
proves very troublesome bud Y
hunter once noticed a large hsTa n S
in the air, which was fappinge d
violently, and apparently il n
trouble. Suddenly it darted 1 t6|
to the earth almost at the hunsi v
where it lay gasping and dying AXE
tiny weasel sprang from the q
feathers, and scampered awsy ID
itself in the stone wall near b. !, is
amining the bird, the hunter iou, he
its throat was torn to piecat,u
weasel's sharp teeth. The laa 4
ure, although unable TO esGniere,
the powerful grip of the mad j
twisted itself until it could m
enemy's throat, when it easily roV'
a deadly wound. /
The defenseless hares and rand :
bitterly prosecuted by ythe weas hey
springs upon them, and withw
instinct knows exactly where b eio'
its sharp teeth. The unfortuaut 8
may scamper away as fast asits
its enemy clings to its neck he Z
poor little animal must soon I'd ~
and dying, from loss of blood =
Rats and mice, squirrels, moatnd
and birds of all kinds are huntH or 1
weasel, and it may often be SEE.
inc itself in and out of stone vot,
walls in the vicinity of ban
where it watches for chicken IND
and other domestic fowls. ,be h
If taken very young, weaSeii
tanned, and a whole army Of SAno
not free a house so quickly OH
mice as will one little weasel
must sit patiently by the rat;i
wait until the mischievOus beS
lures forth; but where a rat cr IL
weasel can follow. Weaseksll trl
are often kept on board Of shir2ers
are petted by the sailors ta mig
with weasel as passenger i aim
free from rats. pan
There are many pretty StoriaemE
tame weasels, and of the afecM :"
manifest toward those who ner'
them. A lady who receivedif Ina
of very small and very young VIVA
fed it with milk, which it dniLoq
her hand. The little creatuf' LOG
so attached to its mistress thai
ever she called it, it would pPuD
appear from whatever corner y Dro
it was curled up, and would @one
over her like a squirrel, HMovs =
her, and would play with hGo. Z 3 ;
dog, often riding round on tnsl III
but it never injured them. N% ouy ). \
afforded its mistress much anu Ssa =
If she opened a box or trunt no no'I
Weasel would raise himself Cd " ~ Uol ]
legs and make every efOrt"F sr9 s,r9
side. ,siY
This little creature is mucl na]
by man, and large numbers m az G11 8 !
in traps, it being general n ne
that they do more harm thans al
although a. weasel may now ~, y wd a,d
carry off a chicken from the 'I. VI
it does much good by freeing ~ u :
corn fields of mice and othet y ~ ~
structive animals. -HarpT' ,,o U,y
People. RI